


Becoming One

by Ataraxie



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Death Eaters, Explicit Sexual Content, F/M, First Time, Fugitives, Good and Evil, Marriage, Marriage of Convenience, Plot Twists, Sexual Content
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2014-07-01
Updated: 2015-06-21
Packaged: 2018-02-07 02:00:49
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 21
Words: 82,978
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1880862
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Ataraxie/pseuds/Ataraxie
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>After the War, Hermione has to marry the only person she would never have thought about: Severus Snape. But in these trouble times, you can't trust anyone, and she is about to learn it the hard way. Between a Minister of Magic completely paranoid and the rise of the ex-Death Eaters, will they ever find their place as a couple into a corrupt Wizarding World? Marriage Law fic. HG/SS</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Prologue

**Author's Note:**

> Hello,
> 
> 20 chapters of this story are already written, and I hope that you'll like it. Happy reading.

"Hermione, are you awake?"

The voice was just a whisper, but a whisper loud enough to wake her up. The young woman sighed, her eyes still closed, and finally woke up, stretching herself a little bit in the bed. She wanted to stay in this bed _forever_ , but unfortunately, she didn't have this opportunity, she knew it. Today, she had to marry Severus Snape.

Her eyes encountered Ginny's gaze, but she quickly turned her attention to her hands, avoiding the pity that she could see in the redhead's eyes.

"Please, Ginny, can you give me a moment alone?", she asked in a thin voice.

"Of course, Hermione. I'll be in the living room if you need me."

With that, Ginny disappeared through the door, and Hermione let her back drop on the bed. This was a nightmare; it had to be.

Unfortunately it was not, and she closed her eyes, remembering the day, one month before, when she had learned that she had to marry someone in order to fulfill the Marriage Law that had been enacted by some crazy wizards of the Ministry. She had seen red that day, but in the bottom of her heart, she had thought that she had a solution: Ron. Of course, Ron, her friend since she was eleven would help her and marry her. _He had to_.

But Ron had shaken his head when she had told him about her plan. He didn't want to be married to anyone, and certainly not to her. Since he was a year younger than her and that the Law was for young women of 18 years old and more, and men of 20 years old and more, he didn't have to do it. He was expecting the law to be repelled before he turned 20, and therefore, he didn't want to chain himself to someone after their many years spent at Hogwarts.

Then, Ron left. He left all of them, saying that he wanted to discover the world. And he did. He took a bag, put all his necessary stuff in it, and left one week after she had asked him to marry her. Even his parents were surprised to see him leave the Burrow so quickly, without even telling them about his plan to travel around the world alone. They knew the day he left, and since then, nobody had any information about where he was or if he was okay or not.

Nobody.

And here she was, Hermione Jane Granger, in Ron's former bed, waiting for a miracle to happen. Miracles don't exist, she said to herself, but she wanted to believe in it.

When Ron left, Hermione just had a couple of days to choose a suitable husband. She couldn't ask Harry, of course, since he had been with Ginny for some times then, and even if she was sure that he wanted to help her, she hadn't had the courage to ask him.

She spent this couple of days in her bed, thinking about it. She studied all the Weasley boys in her mind: Bill wasn't an option, since he was married to Fleur Delacour; Percy was away, only Merlin knew where; and Charlie was supposed to marry a Dragon's tamer, a Muggle-born like Hermione, since he was supposed to marry someone too. When he had heard that Hermione wasn't engaged to his brother, he had apologized to her, telling her that he would have married her if he knew that Ron had left. But he didn't know, and it wasn't his fault after all if no one was available for her.

One day, just when she was ready to go to the Ministry in order to let them know that she hadn't found any husband to marry in the time that she had to do it, Severus Snape came at the Burrow. She didn't know that it was him when she went to open the door, and she was as shocked as Molly Weasley who was close to her.

"Severus Snape? What are you doing here?", the Weasley matriarch asked in a surprised voice.

"I'm here to talk to this young lady," he merely answered, his gaze not leaving Hermione.

Hermione nodded and went out of the house with him, taking care to close the door behind her. She was surprised to see him here. She knew that Severus Snape wasn't dead, everyone in the Wizarding World was aware of that ever since the beginning of the month, two weeks ago. She had read in the _Daily Prophet_ that he had been saved by a "phoenix". That was all. A phoenix. There were no other information about it, nothing about the phoenix, nothing about the fact that he was almost dead when Harry left him at the Shrieking Shack, or about the fact that he had been bitten by Nagini, a highly poisonous snake.

But he wasn't dead, and Hermione wasn't surprised to see him alive next to her. She was just surprised to see him, period.

"What do you want from me, Professor?", she asked in a soft voice while they were walking in the garden.

"I'm no longer a Hogwarts' teacher, I'm afraid... You can call me Severus, I guess."

Hermione froze a little. Calling him "Snape" was something, since she had heard Harry using this name all the time, but Severus...

"Well, Severus," she said with some reluctance, "my questions remains the same."

He turned his head toward her, and looked into her eyes with his dark gaze.

"I have a deal to offer you, Miss Granger."

"I guess that you can call me Hermione, since I can call you Severus", she whispered, and he nodded.

"Hermione then. I know that you have to marry someone, and I do not think that I am wrong when I say that you did not find a husband yet."

"What makes you saying that? I know that I don't have a ring on my left hand, but that means nothing, as far as I'm concerned", she replied, a little disturbed by their conversation.

"I heard about the departure of Mister Weasley. Quite a pity, I have to admit it. Leaving the girl that he had chased for some years to go Merlin knows where...", he murmured, still not leaving her eyes.

"I don't think that it's any of your business".

Her voice was harsh, and she was really close to tell him to go to Hell and to go back into the Burrow. He seemed to notice that, because he put a caring hand on her shoulder, taking her by surprise.

"I did not want to hurt your feelings, please accept my apologies."

Hermione relaxed a little, and she started walking again.

"You're right," she finally admitted. "He's gone. He left me here, and I don't know what to do now. I was about going to the Ministry, and just let them pick a bachelor for me, you know... What a shame," she concluded with a dry laugh.

Severus didn't answer back, and they continued their walk for some minutes before he stopped. Hermione stopped too, waiting for him.

"I was talking about a deal..."

"I'm listening."

"As you know, every witch of 18 or more have to marry. But it's also the case of every wizard of 20 or more. As you may know," he said with some irony in his voice, "I'm a little older than 20. Just a little."

Hermione let out a laugh at his words and nodded.

"I'm quite aware of that, yes", she answered.

"That is the reason why I am here," he continued, a strange look on his face.

"You have to marry someone too," Hermione said, realizing what he was asking her. "And..."

"I am sure that you already understood why I am here in front of you, Hermione Granger."

Hermione blinked several times, while Severus' words were taking shape in her mind.

"You want me to...", she began, but her voice seemed to stop to function.

" _I need you to marry me_ ," he finished.


	2. Chapter 1

"You are kidding me, aren't you?"

Severus Snape took a step toward her, and shook his head.

"Not at all, I'm afraid," he answered, readjusting his cloak on his shoulders.

_Why does he have to wear a cloak in this bright sunny day of June?_ , Hermione asked herself, frowning. It was something to see him dressed like that in Hogwarts, but not outside the castle. Severus Snape seemed to be quite a character.

"Both of us have to find... A partner," he continued. "Unfortunately, you're the only witch that I know who is as desperate as I am to accept me as a husband."

"Who said that I was desperate?", she let out.

"Come on, Hermione. You were on your way to the Ministry, you said it yourself. They can pick a worse wizard for you than me. Even if it seems to be impossible to your eyes, trust me, they can."

"How come? You're a former Death Eater who always hated me and treated me like less than a house-elf, so I can hardly see how they can pick somebody worse for me, really," she said with a disdainful look, even if she knew that he was a spy for Dumbledore during all this time.

"Really?", he echoed her. "Let me think... Hm, let's say that, for some reason, the Ministry wants to rehabilitate the former Death Eaters that you are talking about while pairing them with the people who fought for Harry Potter and the Wizarding World's safety. It's just an example, of course," he finished with a smirk.

"They can't do that...", Hermione whispered.

"Can't they?", Severus retorted. "Let me be honest with you for a second: I do not want to marry you, I need you to marry me. There is no love involved in what I am asking you to do, for God's sake. No love, no feelings of any sort. Not even hate, since you seem to be so sure that I hate you. I came to you today as neutral as I can be, because I know that we can save each other from a sentence of the Ministry that none of us want. They can attribute you somebody as Malfoy – not the young one since he is not of age, but his recently divorced father if you want to know everything – for example. Would you like that, Hermione?" he asked with a low voice.

"I understand what you are saying to me, Severus, but I don't understand what you are winning here. I really don't."

"Let's just say that I can do worse than you. Yep. Moreover, I know that you are a clever girl – and don't ask me to repeat that again, please -, intelligent enough to understand that we will not share any intimacy in this marriage, at least not more than they will ask us to have, as I am sure they will do."

Hermione nodded, pleased with what he just said to her.

"And if for some reason this stupid Law is repealed...", she began.

"Then we will agree on a divorce, you should have no doubt about it."

**XxX**

That day, she said yes. That day, she had changed her mind and she hadn't gone to the Ministry. She just said "yes" to Severus when he asked her to marry him, and eventually, all the trouble that was on her mind disappeared.

Not for long. A day later, she finally realized that she had said " _yes_ " to Severus Snape, her former teacher and the man who she had thought was a traitor for a long time. The man who had spent his life in the dungeons of Hogwarts. She didn't even know if he had a house of his own. Where would they live?

Molly Weasley had told her that it wasn't a so terrible deal in the end. Severus Snape was a good man, good enough to not hurt her. Not hurting her physically, true, but he was so rude and so... Weird. His whole physical appearance was weird – not that Hermione thought that she was herself a model -, with his long nose and black hair. He was tall, tall enough for her to have to raise her head when she wanted to talk to him. Tall enough to scare her when he wanted to.

And this man, Severus Snape, would be her husband in a few hours...

During the two weeks that had followed his awkward proposal, they rarely met. He just came at the Burrow once or twice to see if she was still okay to marry him and to ask her a few questions about the ceremony. She wanted to do it at the Burrow, with every person that meant something to her. Of course, Severus wasn't really pleased about it, but when she asked her what he wanted, he just shook his head. Hermione thought that he just wanted to go to the Ministry, sign some papers, and then it would be done.

Hermione was not a really romantic girl, but she always thought that her marriage would be good enough for her to remember it when she would be older. Of course, she never thought that Severus Snape would be the man who would share this moment with her, but she wanted it to be a good moment anyway.

They only had a fortnight to prepare everything, and Hermione was happy to know that in the Wizarding World, it was easier to prepare a marriage. Molly Weasley helped her for everything, and so did Ginny and Harry, even if they were not really happy with the fact that she had to marry Snape.

"Do you really not have another solution, Hermione?", Harry asked her the day she told them everything.

"I don't think so, Harry. You know, I don't want to marry him, but I have to. And he's not that bad, after all... He's twenty years older than I am, sure, but... I think that we can agree on a life together. It will not be the life that I dreamed of, but at least, I'm sure that he will not forbid me to follow my career plan for example. Let's see the good in the bad, okay?", she finished with a sad smile.

That same day, she had received her acceptation letter from St. Mungo's Hospital. When she was younger, she always thought that she would work for the Ministry one day, but after the devastation of the War, and the little help from the Ministry they had got, she changed her mind. That's why becoming a Healer had became her new career plan. She wanted to help people, and that was a good way to do it.

Harry, Ron and herself had obtained their Hogwarts degree thanks to Minerva McGonagall, who had understood the part that they had played during this year away from school, searching for the Horcruxes. Certainly, Hermione did not got the pleasure to have a bunch of Outstanding this time, but even if she was craving for knowledge, she didn't want to return to Hogwarts. So many things had happened in a year, and being alone in this castle where she had witnessed so many deaths wasn't an option for her.

Moreover, she was engaged to Severus Snape now, and it was her duty to stand next to him.

**XxX**

With a sigh, Hermione finally took all the courage she's got to raise from her bed. Her gaze fell onto the ring that was on her left hand. It was a beautiful silver ring with a diamond on it. But it was not a simple white diamond as it usually was. No, this one was particular. It was white, but the reflections on it were changing with the light. Sometimes, it was as green as an emerald, and the next second, it could be as red as a ruby.

Hermione loved it.

And today, she was about to officially become Mrs Hermione Snape.

It scared her, since she had to move with him to a place she didn't even know about. She learned from Harry that Severus got a place at Spinner's End, but she wasn't sure that he wanted to live there with her. Severus seemed to have had a terrible childhood, from what she knew, and living in the place where he had grown didn't seem to be a good idea to her.

Hermione went to the wardrobe that was next to Ron's bed and opened it. She then saw the most beautiful dress she ever saw, and her eyes were suddenly wet. Everything was so true now, she couldn't back off. Her parents... They didn't even know that she was marrying someone today. It was so hard for her to tell them; to tell them that at 18, almost 19, she had to find herself a husband. She knew that they wouldn't understand, that they would freak out.

Of course, one day... One day, she would have to tell them. One day, she would knock at their door with Severus next to her, and they would understand. They had to.

Suddenly, someone knocked at the door.

"Come in!"

Molly Weasley sneaked into her son's bedroom, a shy smile on her face. She went closer to the young woman, and didn't take long to notice that Hermione was about to cry.

"Oh, Hermione...", she just said, taking her in her arms.

"I don't even know why I am crying," Hermione sobbed in her embrace.

"You don't have to be ashamed of it, my dear," Molly murmured. "It's okay to feel this way, really. This repulsive law is destroying a lot of lives, and yours too, we will always be there for you, and I'm sure that Severus will be a nice husband to you. The Ministry hasn't rehabilitated him yet, but it's just a matter of time. Don't cry..."

She stayed in Molly's arms for a long time, trying to calm herself down.

"Why can't I do like Ron, and flee from this awful country? I don't know, maybe it would fix things," she said, still sobbing.

"You're not that kind of girl, Hermione, you're far from it. You're a strong, brilliant woman. Do you really want a runaway life? Ron did it because he didn't have to marry someone right now, but you... If you run away, nothing will be the same. This law is for everyone around the world, wizards and witches. It's not fair, I agree, but there is no way that you can escape it..."

Hermione nodded. She knew that there was no escape from this marriage. She had to walk to that altar today, and put her hand on Severus' hand. They had to exchange their vows, and there had to be a bounding ceremony.

Molly took a step back from her, and with her hand, erased the last tear that was on Hermione's check.

"So... Do you want me to help you to put your dress on?"

**XxX**

"Breathe, breathe..."

Severus Snape was still at his flat, looking at his reflection in the mirror. He put a wizard robe on, but not a black one this time. He had thought about it, to be honest. But it didn't seem to be appropriate, even for him. It was his wedding, not some funeral.

It wasn't a white robe either, he would have preferred to die rather than to wear a white robe. He finally opted for a dark blue robe, elegant and highly appropriate for this kind of ceremony. At least, that was what the seller had told him three days ago.

He made an effort on his appearance this time. He used a potion for his teeth that were cleaner than ever, and disciplined his hair. They were quite silky now, not perfect, of course, but far from a greasy texture.

Severus never thought that he would marry someone one day. Surprisingly, he never thought that he would marry Lily Evans when he was a young boy. He wanted to be with her, but all that he wanted was to please her. Marriage was not something that you thought about when you were fifteen.

And here he was getting ready, to take Hermione Granger as his wife.

"Do you want some help?"

Severus didn't turn, still looking at himself in the mirror.

"No, thank you."

"Look at you, Severus... Your soon-to-be bride is a lucky witch."

The former Hogwarts professor met the eyes of his friend in the mirror and frowned.

"Spare me your sarcasm, Lucius, if you do not mind."

"Well well, I was just saying something nice. You seem to be a little... Tense, aren't you?", Lucius Malfoy said with a smirk.

"Not at all. You see, marrying someone is something that I do everyday", Severus retorted with some irony in his voice, leaving his reflection in the mirror to face Lucius.

"And what a "someone" you put your hands on. I must admit that I am quite jealous, Severus. I still don't know what you said to that witch for her to accept you so easily, but I am admiring. What a shame that you don't want to share your secret with me..."

"This is none of your business, Lucius," he spat. "What is important, is that I'm marrying her today. That is all."

Lucius went to the armchair that was next to the mirror, and casually sat on it.

"Well, you are right. That is what is important, _for both of us_ ,"he said with a disdainful gesture of his hand. "Talking about it, I saw Mulciber the other day, he greets you."

Severus didn't reply, and served two glasses of firewhiskey, handing one to Lucius who took it with a nod.

"You still don't want me to come as your witness? Think twice, Severus, think twice..."

"I do not have to think twice to know that you are not invited. All the Weasleys will be there, and Merlin knows that you can't behave yourself when you are next to them."

"Well, that is a good reason for me not come, I have to admit it. What a shame that this Granger loves that vermin with all her heart... I thought that she was close to that Ronald just because of Potter in the first place, but now that he is gone, she's still hanging with that crazy family. A pity, really. But I assume that you will change that, right?"

"She can do whatever pleases her, I don't care."

"Please, Severus...," Lucius said with a soft voice, "you can't possibly let her see them once she'll be married to you. It is... insane," he finished in a whisper, before drinking a sip of firewhiskey.

"I said: "she can do whatever pleases her, _I don't care_ ,"" Severus repeated, louder this time.

Lucius made a face, starting to become annoyed by his friend's reaction.

"I guess that you will change your mind once all these rats will come to your house. By the way, that was a good idea to buy this place. It is.. charming."

"Thank you. Spinner's End is not a place that I'm fond of. And I was not sure that Hermione would like it."

"It is _Hermione_ , then?", Lucius let out with a mean laugh. "I did not know that you two were that close already."

"We are not. I am just trying to make things easier between us."

"I see. Well, I think that I have to go now. You should do the same," he added with a glance at the clock. "See you soon, I guess."

Lucius didn't wait for Severus to reply, and a second later, he was gone. Angrily, Severus drank the rest of the firewhiskey and disappeared too.

**XxX**

"Are you ready?"

Ginny was at the doorstep of her brother's bedroom, looking at Hermione who was struggling to adjust the back of her dress.

"Quite ready...," she mumbled without a glance for the young redhead.

"You're really beautiful, Hermione, and I mean it," Ginny whispered while coming closer to help her in her task.

"Thank you," Hermione replied, looking at her friend through the mirror in front of her.

"Dad is in the living room, waiting for you..."

"I'm so happy that Arthur accepted to do it for me, you have no idea how much this is important to me."

"I know, and he's really happy to do it too," Ginny said with a smile. "Even though he doesn't understand why you seem so reluctant to tell it to your parents," she added.

"They are Muggle... They can't understand such a law, trust me Ginny.I would have told them if I thought that they would have understood. But...", she stopped, taking a deep breath.

"It's okay, I got it. Just relax. Snape is also here, but in the garden. He's waiting for you, so try not to cry, okay?", she said with a little grin.

"I promise. Let's go, Ginny."

They went down the stairs, Hermione wearing her white bridal dress, a simple one tightening under her breast, and falling in a beautiful way around her legs. Molly had taken care of her hair, and her large-sized curls and soft waves were free on her shoulders, just held by some flowers. Indeed, she was beautiful.

Ginny was her bridesmaid, and was wearing a cute pale pink dress.

When they arrived at the bottom of the staircase, Hermione met Harry's gaze, and he gave her a nod.

"You two are wonderful," he said before taking Ginny's hand in his.

"Thank you, Harry," Hermione whispered while Ginny was giving him a chaste kiss on the lips.

Not so far from Harry, Arthur Weasley was looking at her, smiling.

"Hermione, you are stunning. I'm a little disappointed to know that it's not my son that you are going to marry, but he's the idiot here. Let me tell you that I'm happy to take you up to the altar," he said, coming next to her to give her his arm.

Hermione took it with a smile on her face. At least, she was surrounded by the people that were dear to her. That was the most important.


	3. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Here it is... Hermione is about to become Mrs. Snape.

"What is taking her so long...," Severus mumbled, looking at the few trees that were in front of him.

It was hard for him to look at all of the Weasleys, who were sitting on a few benches just in front of the altar. He could see the disdain in their eyes, and could almost feel the disgust they were feeling toward him. It was their little protégée who he was about to marry today, no less. He crossed his hands on his robe, and sighed. He didn't want to be there, but some things can't be avoided forever.

They had rehearsedtheir vows a week earlier, and they agreed on something not spectacular. They were not in love, and everybody knew that. It wasn't necessary to fake something that didn't exist.

Suddenly, Harry Potter left the house of the Weasleys and took place right behind Severus, without glancing at him.

"She's coming," he murmured just for his attention. "You better take care of her, Snape."

Severus didn't answer back, focused on the door where Harry just came from. She would be here in a minute. In a few minutes, they would be bound to each other, thanks to this Ministry employee who was right next to him. He was middle age, with a few hair left on his head, wearing his glasses on the tip of his nose. He seemed quite a strange character, laughing every minute for no reason. Severus had been beside him for the last ten minutes, and it was a torture.

"Come on, I don't have all day...," he mumbled again, not caring about Potter's presence behind him.

He just had the time to say that sentence before Hermione left the house, her arm entangled with Arthur Weasley's one. She was... stunning, even to his eyes. She had a shy smile on her face, and she was radiant, wearing a strapless white dress with a jewelry at its center, just underneath her breasts. His throat went dry, and Severus had to swallow hard in order not to feel stifled.

Hermione Granger, soon to be Snape, walked to the altar, taking care to smile to everyone while she was doing so. She was avoiding Severus' gaze and he knew it, but when she was finally in front of him, he saw her taking a deep breath, before leaving Arthur's arm and raising her chin to face him.

_This was it._

They were about to become husband and wife.

**XxX**

"Severus, Severus, Severus... I've known you since you were a teenager, really. I don't think that you remember me, but I remember you. I was with you at Hogwarts, but I was a Hufflepuff and four years ahead. Severus Snape, the lonely kid of Slytherin... Ah... That were some old good memories."

Severus blinked a few times, stunned by the Ministry's employee speech. Not only he didn't remember this man, but also it was not the place nor the moment to talk about things like that.

"Can you just... _marry us_ , please?" he said in a threatening voice.

"Oh, yes, of course, but I just prepared a little speech, and I..."

"Please," Severus cut him off.

He nodded and cleared his throat. Severus returned his attention on Hermione, who seemed to be slightly amused by the situation.

"Mmh, well then... Ladies and gentlemen, we are here to celebrate the union of Mr. Severus Snape and Ms. Hermione Jean Granger. As you all know, the Wizarding World just suffered a great tragedy, a terrible war with so many losses. This is the reason why the Ministry decided to introduce a new law about marriage, and this is also the reason why you are here in front of me today. I heard that you decided to marry each other by yourselves and it's a proof that you will have a long and happy life together."

Hermione and Severus coughed at the same time, but the Ministry employee didn't seem to care and continued his speech.

"With the power that the Ministry vested in me I'm here to bind you, Hermione Jean Granger, to this man, Severus Tobias Snape. If you don't mind, just give me your left hand, both of you."

Hermione raised her left hand in the air, and Severus noticed that she was shaking a little. The employee took her hand with a nod, and then took Severus' hand too, joining them together.

"You may exchange your vows now," he said with a stupid laugh.

There was a moment of silence between them, none knowing who was the one who had to talk first. Finally, Severus spoke up, in his baritone voice.

"I, Severus Tobias Snape, accept to take you, Hermione Jean Granger, as a wife. I will do everything possible to give you the life you deserve, and I will take care of you during all the time of our marriage."

Usually, in the Muggle weddings, but also in the Magical ones, they were supposed to add something about "until death do us part", but they decided not to include this part in their vows.

The Ministry employee nodded with a smile, and turned his attention to Hermione. She swallowed hard, and began.

"I, Hermione Jean Granger, accept to take you, Severus Tobias Snape, as a husband. I will do everything possible to give you the life you deserve, and I will take care of you during all the time of our marriage."

"Perfect," the hairless man said, taking his wand in his right hand, and putting it on their joined hands. "By the power that the Ministry of Magic vested in me I, Gideon Phineas Trey, declare you husband and wife."

A little yellow glow came from his wand, and Hermione felt heat taking possession of her hand. A moment later, when he removed his wand, she could see a new gold ring, close to her engagement ring.

"You may kiss the bride."

She hadn't thought about that, and at the expression on Severus' face, neither had he. You may kiss the bride. Did she really have to kiss Severus Snape, her former Potions teacher in front of everybody? She looked at the Ministry employee with some terror in her eyes, and he put a caring hand on her arm.

"It's just a kiss, Ms Snape," he said with a smile.

"It's not just a kiss, it's...," she began in a shaking voice, but was interrupted by Severus.

"Oh, come on," he snapped, taking her head in his hands, and putting a kiss on her lips. It was just a simple kiss, two pairs of lips contacting for a brief moment, and a second later, he released her.

There was nothing sensual about this kiss, and it had the taste of duty. The duty that they were now sharing together, Mr. and Ms Snape.

**XxX**

She was tired. Tired by this long day, tired by the burden that was now on her shoulders.

Married. She was married.

Hermione got rid of her high-heeled shoes – Ginny's choice, no less – and went to the living room where Severus already was. It didn't seem to be a big flat, and she was pleased with the decoration so far. He told her, when they left the Burrow, that he had bought a flat for them in the center of London.

Severus sat on an armchair, and he indicated the one next to him with a nod.

"Please, take place."

With some discomfort, Hermione went to the armchair and casually sat down. She didn't know what to say to her husband. Husband. Even this title seemed to be weird to her ears.

"We received an owl while we were... away."

"What does it say?" she asked, suddenly interested.

"Read it by yourself," Severus said in a harsh voice, handing her a parchment.

Hermione took it in her hands, and began to read it.

" _Dear Mr. and Ms Severus Snape,_

_We've taken notice of your recent union under the Marriage Act that was promulgated on June 1st, 1998. As you already know, all wizards of 20 or more and all witches of 18 or more have to find a partner in order to compensate the great losses of the War. This law applies to every English Citizen all around the world._

_As a married couple, you will have to fulfill some conditions listed below:_

_\- First, you have to consummate your union in the next 72 hours to validate your marriage;_

_\- You will have to behave like a normal couple, and this leads to some requirements, such as living under the same roof and sharing the same bed;_

_\- As a matter of fact, to compensate the losses of the War, you will have to conceive a child (or more) in the first two years of your marriage. A medical check-up will have to be done in the first month of your union;_

_\- A fidelity charm was casted when you said your vows, and you have to respect it; or there will be magical consequences for the cheating party._

_\- You will have a monthly appointment with a Ministry employeewho will see if every condition is fulfilled._

_If, for some reasons, you can't fulfill one of these conditions with the person you are with, please contact us. Our office is open from Monday to Friday (9 am; 4 pm). Please ask the Family Affairs Department._ "

Hermione finished reading the parchment, with the usual greetings, and dropped it on her knees. It was a subject that they had avoided during their meetings before their union, but now, knowing that the other one was aware of what they had to do changed everything.

She observed him, and saw that he had served himself a glass of firewhiskey. His was gazing at nothing, lost in thoughts. She cleared her throat before talking.

"This is not a surprise, isn't it?" she whispered. "Even if we didn't talk about it in the first place..."

He nodded, before taking a sip of firewhiskey.

"Not a surprise, indeed. I knew that the main objective of this law was to repopulate the Wizarding world, but I thought that we would have more time to do years are definitely not enough."

"Enough for what?"

"For the law to be repealed, of course," Severus answered with a surprised look. "That is what we both want, isn't it?"

"Of course," Hermione answered quickly. "Of course, it is".

"This Ministry will be the death of me, I'm telling you...," he said with a glance toward her. "I have to say that I am quite surprised by your attitude, Hermione. I thought that you would have been angrier, more vindictive about this Marriage Law... But now, what I am seeing at this exact moment, is just a little, terrorized kitten. Interesting."

"Can't I be both?"she asked through clenched teeth. "I'm angry, yes. I'm angry because I have to do something that I don't want to do. What am I saying! I had to do something crazy. I had to marry my former teacher, which I did, and now... I knew that this would happen, one day or another, but everything seems to be so real now, with that parchment on my knees. And I'm scared too, I have to admit. Are you happy now? The Gryffindor Know-it-all is totally scared by the situation and doesn't know what is the proper thing to do," she ended, her voice suddenly cracking.

_Don't cry in front of him_ , she said to herself. She still had 72 hours before her, hadn't she?

Severus planted his dark gaze in Hermione's eyes and nodded slowly.

"I know exactly what you feel, not that I am as scared as you are, not at all. I guess that you have, let's say, other reasons to be scared, but trust me when I say that I understand."

With that said, he glanced at the clock just above the condemned fireplace, and sighed.

"It's quite late already. I did not think that we would spend so much time at the Burrow."

"Neither did I, it was supposed to be a brief wedding ceremony," she answered.

But Molly Weasley had insisted to keep them a little longer, arguing that she had prepared a lot of things to eat and that she didn't want to spoil everything. They spent the afternoon at the Burrow, but to be honest, Hermione was happy to stay a little longer with her friends. Being alone with Severus Snape wasn't something that she was looking forward to.

"I guess that you are a virgin, am I wrong?"

Severus' voice took her out of her torpor, and Hermione froze, looking at him as he was taking another sip of firewhiskey.

"I beg your pardon?", she murmured, shocked by what he just asked her.

"You heard me well. Are you a virgin, Miss Granger?" he snapped.

His sudden change of behavior toward her took her by surprise. He was finally putting some distance between them, and she wondered if this was because of the path that their conversation was taking.

"I am not a Miss anymore..."

"How can I forget that, Mrs. Snape," he let out with an ironic laugh. "Of course, you are not a Miss anymore. And I have to take care of that tonight."

Hermione felt her heart beating faster in her chest, as his words were taking shape in her mind. Tonight?

"I thought that we had 72 hours to do it," she retorted with a shaking voice.

"Of course, we have. But do you think that it is a great idea to postpone this duty?", he asked, before serving a second glass of firewhiskey. "We will have to do it one day or another. Come on, drink are a big girl now, and I guess that you will need it tonight."

Hermione bent forward to take the glass of alcohol from her husband's hand, and looked at the amber liquid for a few seconds before taking a sip of it. The taste was disgusting, and she thought that her inside was burning the second she swallowed the horrid drink. She coughed a little, and heard Severus laugh.

"It is always weird the first time," he said sneeringly.

She gave him a look of hatred but continued to drink the awful alcohol. She needed this, she knew it. Even if she was a courageous Gryffindor, there were things that she was scared about. Since she had been young, Hermione had been her own worst critic, always saying that she wasn't good enough to do something. She wasn't good enough at sports, she wasn't good enough at swimming, she wasn't good enough at school. Even if she was good enough, obviously, she always thought that she wasn't. There were always things to learn, and she was afraid to beconfronted to something new. Novelty implied that she didn't know about that, didn't know about how to do it.

And sexuality was something new to her.

During her years at Hogwarts, she never thought about it, honestly. She was busy with school, with how many Outstandings she would have for her OWLs, with Voldemort... Sex wasn't a hot topic for her, far from it.

And here she was, at 18 years old, 19 in a few months, in front of Severus Snape, on the verge of having her first time with him.

The alcohol she drank seemed to already have some effects on her. She was feeling a little sleepy, and she thought that it was a good idea to put the glass on the table next to her.

"Drink all of it," Severus snapped.

With some reluctance, Hermione carried the glass toward her lips and took a big sip of it, the last one.

"Good girl," he murmured when she put the glass on the table, her hand shaking. "Can you get up?"

"I think so...," Hermione mumbled, using the arms of her chair to get up.

"Let me help you," Severus merely said.

He went toward her, letting her take support on him to walk.

"My, I did not think that a simple glass of firewhiskey would have this effect on you," he murmured while walking through the living room.

"I'm fine, really..."

"I don't think so," he interrupted her.

Severus opened the door of their bedroom, and Hermione saw that it was a spacious room, with a wardrobe of good size, a desk in black oak and a huge bed at its center.

"I did not buy a lot of furniture, since I didn't know what pleases you."

She gave him a surprised look, and sat on the bed.

"Thanks... I guess," Hermione answered.

Severus was still standing next to the bed, and he crossed his arms on his chest, looking intensely at her. Now what, o short-tempered one?

"I think that we both can... undress," he said in a low voice.

Hermione nodded and got up from the bed.

"Can you just unzip my dress, please?"

She turned her back, and Severus did as she said. A moment later, her wedding dress pooled at her feet, and he noticed that she had a strapless ivory bra, with ivory panties too. This color was complimenting her tan in the most beautiful way.

Embarrassed by being half naked next to her husband, Hermione sat on the bed once again, and crossed her arms on her breasts, trying to hide her nudity from him.

"You don't have to hide yourself from me, Hermione," Severus whispered. "In a few minutes, we both will be as naked as the day we were born and we will share something really intimate. The most intimate thing that a man and a woman can share, to be honest. Lay down..."

She did as he said and she took some deep breaths, while Severus was removing his dark blue robe. She didn't look at him during the whole process, focused in looking at the ceiling above her. With a movement of his wand, Severus shut down the lights, and just left on the four candles around the bed.

"I think that we will be more comfortable that way," he whispered, laying next to her.

Hermione turned to look at him, and noticed that he wasn't completely naked. He still had his boxers on, and she was relieved to see that. She couldn't see that much of his body in that low light, but it was enough for her to see that he was fit.

She swallowed hard, still terrified by what was about to happen in that bed. A few seconds passed, and Severus finally spoke.

"Are you ready?"

_Am I ready?_ , Hermione asked to herself at the same time. Was she ready to give him something so intimate, something that she never gave to anyone in almost nineteen years of life? She was not, to be honest, but she knew that there was only one answer to this question.

Then, she nodded.


	4. Chapter 3

**Becoming One**

**Chapter 3**

* * *

Severus was sure that Hermione said that she was ready just because she was too proud to admit that she was not. _Proud like a Gryffindor,_ he thought, letting out a sigh while looking at her.

"I am not going to say that it will not hurt. It will hurt, eventually. This is the reason why you need to relax..."

Hermione briefly closed her eyes, and nodded again. Severus was right. She had to relax, to calm down, or it would hurt.

"Good," Severus said after a few seconds. "Now, don't move please."

She froze and closed her eyes again. She didn't want to see what he was about to do. Surely, he would climb upon her and...

"Open your eyes, Hermione."

Was it _Hermione_ again? She did as he said and saw that he was on his side next to her, using his arm to raise himself. Their eyes met in the dim light, and Severus used his right hand to caress her stomach. His gesture wasn't sensual or full of love, far from it. He just ran his hand over her stomach, squeezed her skin a little, and that was it. Hermione couldn't contain a little laugh.

"If you want me to relax, it isn't working," she said, suddenly amused by the situation.

Severus gave her a disdainful look, but his hand became softer.

"I don't take the virginity of one of my former students everyday...", he whispered.

Hermione nodded and tried to focus on what was actually happening. Severus' hand was on her bra now, and she heard him whispering a spell. A second later, he was removing the last piece of cloth that was protecting her breasts from him, without even detaching the clips in her back.

"There is a spell for everything," Severus explained with a smirk.

Hermione closed her eyes, and felt Severus' hands all over her breasts, touching them, feeling them. She let out a little moan, and when she opened her eyes, she saw his head a few inches from her breasts, ready to devour her skin with his mouth. He was upon her now, but their bodies weren't in contact. Their eyes met, and Hermione could see all the lust that was in his eyes.

"Please, stop thinking that I was your professor one day, just see me as... a man with needs, see me as your husband, _just for tonight_ ", he whispered before taking one of her nipples into his mouth.

She wanted to do as he said; she truly wanted to forget that it was Severus Snape who was kissing her breasts, but it was hard to do so with her eyes on him, focused on what he was doing to her. She decided to close her eyes once again, and let her head fall onto the pillows. She was feeling everything, every bite, every kiss. Severus' hands were on her whole body, going from her breasts to her hips, then gently caressing her legs with his long fingers. His movements were a little awkward at the beginning, but Hermione didn't seem to care. It was her first time after all, and she didn't know how it was supposed to be like. To her, it was good enough to not feel uncomfortable.

Suddenly, Severus pushed her left leg apart, his hand resting on her panties. Hermione opened her eyes, disturbed to feel something _there_. He looked up to meet her eyes, as if he wanted to have her permission. The young woman swallowed with great difficulty, but in the end, she managed to nod. Then, with his right hand, Severus began to caress her through her panties, taking care not to be too rough. Hermione was breathless. She knew that, eventually, they would reach this level of intimacy, but it was so weird to feel her former professor caressing her with such... confidence. It was like he did it all his life, it was like he was made for doing such a thing to her body.

He pressed his fingers more firmly against her panties, and Hermione instinctively arched her back to be closer to him. It was such a delightful feeling, and for a moment, Hermione thought that she would come just like that, thanks to Severus' fingers throught her panties; but that was the moment that her husband chose to remove his fingers and stop kissing her breasts.

"As pleasurable as it is, we have to stop here...," he whispered while taking her panties in his hands, and slowly dragging them along her legs.

Hermione was completely naked now and she took a deep breath while Severus removed his boxers as well. From where she was, she saw his proudly erect manhood between his legs, and all of this was suddenly _real_. She was about to lose her virginity into Severus Snape's arms.

**XxX**

The tall man Apparated in a dark alley, and adjusted his cloak around his shoulders. Even in the beginning of July, the nights were cold in London, and a cloak was necessary.

He had spent the day at the Ministry, trying to have some information about his case's progress, but he didn't have the information that he needed. He was furious, but at the same time, it wasn't a surprise, not really. Since day one, he knew that the Ministry didn't care about him or his companions, and that it would do anything in its power to delay his case.

This was the reason why he had decided to fight back.

All his life, Lucius Malfoy had been the Dark Lord's servant, doing everything in his power to help him in his journey against Harry Potter and mortality. But the Dark Lord had failed, and now, he was alone, left on his own.

Lucius knocked twice at the heavy door, and waited. He looked around him to see if he was alone, and sighed. What was taking her so long?

Seconds later, the door slightly opened, and Lucius went close to it.

"It's me, Lucius...," he whispered, and finally, the door was opened enough for him to enter.

It was his house, his home, the Manor that he had inherited from his parents a long time ago.

"What are you doing here, Lucius?," a woman's voice raised in his back. "I told you several times that it wasn't a good idea to come here, especially since..."

"I don't care about your opinion on it, Narcissa," he snapped back, looking at her in the eyes. "This is my problem, not yours."

"This is a family matter, Lucius, do not deny it," she whispered, taking a step toward him. "I care for you..."

Lucius looked at her for several seconds, before turning his back to her, heading to the living room.

"Where's Draco?" he asked while serving himself a glass of firewhiskey, the second of the day. He wasn't a heavy drinker, but sometimes, he needed it.

"I told you to stop with this firewhiskey, I should have..."

"I am not here to hear your whining about my "drinking problem". I am not an alcoholic as far as I know. I am going to ask again: where is Draco?," he asked again, sitting in the couch.

"He's in town with Blaise," Narcissa answered in a low voice.

"See, it wasn't hard to say it," Lucius said with a smirk on his face. "It was Severus' wedding today."

Narcissa Black sat down on the couch, next to Lucius. It had been a month since they had divorced, and it was hard for her to act in a normal way around him. She had spent more than twenty-five years with this man, and now, he was acting like a stranger. But she knew that it was for their own good.

"I heard about it. How was it?"

"Oh, I was not invited," he let out with a laugh. "Severus didn't think that it was a good idea for me to be there. What a pity, really, none of his friends were invited."

"It would have been awkward, don't you think?"

"I guess... Imagine for one second our dear friends Zabini and Nott at this wedding. It would have been quite a show, for sure..."

Narcissa put her hand on her knees, and looked at Lucius while he was taking a sip of firewhiskey.

"Do you have any information about..."

"I _don't,_ "he interrupted her. "And I don't think that it's a good idea to talk about it now; I'm not in a good mood, Narcissa."

She nodded, and came closer to him. Lucius looked at her, an expression of surprise on his face.

"It's not a good idea either, Narcissa," he whispered. "You know what I have to do in order to save our family, and..."

"It's not a problem, Lucius. I know what you have to do, but... It's been a long time now, and I thought that, maybe... _Just for tonight_."

She was so close to him now, and he could almost feel her breath on his face. He had put so much energy to be a total stranger to her in public that he even had forgotten that he didn't have to do the same when they were alone. Soon, her hand was on his cheek, and she approached her pale face to his, a shy smile on her face.

"Just for tonight," he echoed her, before crushing his lips on hers.

**XxX**

His body was on her own now, and she gasped. Severus looked at her face, but he didn't say anything. He just put his right hand on her hips while he was stroking his cock with his left hand. Hermione closed her eyes when she felt it on her leg, knowing what would happen soon.

"Just relax...," Severus whispered, gently caressing her inner tights with his length.

"It's easy to say," she retorted in a weak voice.

A second later, he was slowly pushing inside her, inch by inch. He stopped several times, letting her some time to get used to his presence in her, and began again when she seemed to be relaxed enough. At some point, Hermione frowned and put her hands on his chest, pushing him back.

"I can't go back, Hermione, _I can't_ ," he said, taking her hands into his and putting them over her head.

Actually, he knew that he could, but he just didn't want to. She was so tight around him, squeezing his manhood in such a brilliant way, that he didn't want to go back. He just wanted to bury himself to the hilt in her, but he refrained from his own needs.

"Please, it hurts so much...", she moaned, not caring about the tears that were falling freely on her cheeks.

"We have to go through this, you know that..." Severus whispered in her ear, pushing a little further into her in the same time.

Hermione howled with pain when Severus broke the barrier of her womanhood, and buried her face in his neck. Severus held her close, without moving in her.

"Are you okay?," he managed to say.

After some seconds which seemed to be hours, she nodded and let her head rest on the pillows. With a soft hand, Severus erased the tears that were on her cheeks, giving her a small smile.

"The worst part is behind us, now I will try to give you some pleasure."

Seeing him smile was so rare that Hermione weakly smiled back.

Severus took that as a permission, and he began to move inside her, giving a slow pace to their lovemaking. Hermione was feeling him in every way that a woman could feel a man. He was inside her, moving back and forth, filling her with all that he had.

The pain didn't disappear in a second, unfortunately. During long minutes, Hermione felt it, the insidious pain that was between her legs. But it eventually passed, and she began to feel good between Severus' arms. She focused her attention on his caresses all over her body while he was thrusting into her, on the way he leaned his head to take one of her nipples in his mouth, gently sucking it.

It wasn't heaven, far from it, but it wasn't hell either.

She was in a place between the two opposites, and Severus' moans had an unbelievable effect on her: suddenly, she was aroused by the whole situation, by the feeling of this man between her legs, this man who was giving her all that he had.

"Hermione?", Severus asked when she moaned.

"I'm fine, Severus, just go on...," she whispered, closing her eyes when he increased his pace.

Finally, his moves became erratic, and Hermione felt something warm taking possession of her as Severus emptied himself in her, letting out a long groan.

It was over.

**XxX**

Narcissa wake up in the arms of her husband. She was happy, happy like she hadn't been in a long time. The War had almost taken everything from her, but in the end, she was where she was supposed to be: with Lucius.

"How will this work out, my love?," she whispered, aware that he was awake.

"I don't know, Narcissa. This is a far too complicated situation. Our divorce was the key to make them think that we were weak, but now... Now I need to find myself a new wife..."

She nodded against his shoulder, holding back her tears.

"I know," she finally said. "Do you have an idea about your future wife?"

"Not a clue, to be honest. I was thinking about Hermione Granger, actually, but Severus... Well, Severus was faster this time. I have to find someone in Harry Potter's circle, and at the same time, a woman close to the Ministry. It's not an easy task, darling."

He planted a chaste kiss on her forehead, and let out a sigh.

"But there is a thing that you should not forget, Narcissa. You are the woman I love."

They shared a kiss, and Narcissa rested her head on Lucius' shoulder, once again.

**XxX**

When she woke up, Hermione was alone in the bed. She frowned, disturbed by the rays of light that were entering in the bedroom through the windows. There was no curtain, and Hermione thought that it was something that she needed to take care of.

"Severus?", she said, but as she thought, he didn't answer.

She decided to go in the living room, but figured out that she was naked. With a sigh, she looked at the wardrobe, wondering what was in it. With some luck, she could find a t-shirt to put on.

Hermione put on her panties and opened the wardrobe. She didn't expect to see what she saw at that exact moment. The wardrobe was already full with her own clothes. With a little smile, she put on a t-shirt and a pair of trousers, before heading to the living room. To her great surprise, Severus wasn't there.

"Severus?", she asked again.

"I'm here."

The voice seemed to come from a door that was in front of her and that she hadn't noticed last night. She opened it and was surprised to see a small room full with potions stuff such as a cauldron, some phials, and some books too on a table.

"Is this... a laboratory?"

"Indeed. I am currently working on a contraceptive potion for you," he said, without a glance for her.

"Oh, I see."

Of course, a contraceptive potion, she thought. She hadn't thought about it when they were about to make love, and now she was feeling a little stupid. Suddenly, Severus filled a phial with the blue liquid, and handed it to her. Hermione sniffed it, and under the unreadable gaze of her husband, drank all of it. She made a face right after.

"This is disgusting, really..."

"Good thing that we, men, don't have to drink it, then," he answered with a smirk. "Well, you will have to drink it once a week. Since the Ministry wants us to provide an offspring in the next two years, I am sure that they will keep an eye on our... relations in their monthly appointments," he finished, turning his back to her while he was cleaning his utensils.

"How can they? I mean, of course, they can ask us if we make love, but they can't put a Ministry employee in our bedroom to see if we are lying, right?"

"You'd be surprise to see how far the Ministry can go sometimes..."

"Don't you think that they will see that I'm under this potion? I don't think that they will like that..."

"I don't like to brag about it, but I am not a Potions Master for no reason... But if for some reason they discover it, well, I guess that we will find another way to protect yourself from an unwanted pregnancy."

With that, he made a step toward her, and Hermione made a step back, returning to the living room. A glance to the clock was enough for her to understand that it was quite late in the morning, but her stomach decided to let everyone know that is was almost midday.

"You seem to be hungry," Severus noticed.

"Mmh," she managed to answer, suddenly embarrassed.

"I think that I will disappoint you, but I have an elf in this house," he began. "I don't expect you to change your behavior toward this Wizarding World's institution, but I want you to learn to live with it. Gretchen is a good elf, bound to me thanks to some family's inheritance. She will live here with us, and do not worry: she's treated well."

With some reluctance, Hermione nodded.

"You can ask her everything that you want, she will do it. _Gretchen!_ ," Severus summoned.

A little elf with long ears appeared in a second, a little smile on her face.

"Master Snape," she said with a little voice.

"Gretchen, can you please prepare a meal for two?"

Severus' voice was soft, and Hermione was surprised to see him talk to an elf with such... diplomacy. In the end, maybe Molly Weasley was right; he seemed to be a good man.


	5. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The aftermath.

**Becoming One**

**Chapter 4**

* * *

"It's disturbing."

"I beg your pardon?," Severus said, raising his head from the _Daily Prophet_ , his cup of coffee on his right hand, close to his lips.

Hermione returned her attention to her own cup of tea. They had eaten a few minutes ago, and now they were in the living room, barely talking to each other.

"I mean all this situation. Being married to _you;_ being married, period. I didn't think that my life would be like that to be honest."

Severus put his cup on the coffee table in front on him, looking at Hermione with a strange look on his face.

"Really? I thought that it was your life dream to be here with me. I'm a little disappointed," he said with a smirk.

Hermione rolled her eyes, and put her cup of tea on her knees, not knowing what to say.

"This is life, and we have to deal with it, Hermione. We have to live together for a couple of years and then, I hope, we will be free from each other," Severus said, returning his attention to the _Daily Prophet_.

This was her life, yes. A life spent next to her former professor who seemed to not care about her, who preferred to read a paper alone instead of talking to her. But what would they say to each other anyway? They didn't have a lot in common, except Hogwarts and a certain passion for some subjects like Potions. Hermione had developed a certain love for the subject during her years at Hogwarts, even if Severus Snape hadn't been the perfect teacher. Horace Slughorn hadn't been better, unfortunately. Slughorn was nice, she had to admit, but he wasn't a true Potions Master as Severus was.

With Severus Snape, Potions were an art, not only a school subject. Simply filling a phial was an art. Everything had to be perfect with him.

Hermione bit her lower lip, taking a deep breath before opening her mouth.

"By the way, I was wond...," she began, but didn't have the time to finish her sentence.

An owl entered through the open window and settled on the coffee table, looking at Hermione's husband. Severus took the letter that was on its beak and the owl flew away, going back to where it came from. Severus frowned, and Hermione put her cup of tea next to his cup of coffee.

"What is it?"

"A Ministry letter," he grumbled, opening the letter in haste.

His eyes quickly went to the beginning of the letter and skimmed it until its end, and he handed her the parchment with a sigh.

" _Dear Mr. and Ms. Severus Snape,_

_It's with great pleasure that we announce you that your marriage is now valid. You need to have a medical check-up in the next 72 hours, in order to see if both of you are fertile and in a good enough shape to have a child. Treatments will be provided if you can't fulfill these requirements. Please come at the Ministry in the next 72 hours, and ask for the Family Affairs Department._

_Yours faithfully,_

_The Ministry of Magic_ "

"Treatments will be provided... They have some nerves," Severus mumbled.

"Sure they have," Hermione muttered. "But what about the witches too old to have children? I am sure that some witches older than 50 for example can't "fulfill these requirements" as they say. And as far as I know, there is no treatment for this kind of incapacity, even in the Wizarding world."

"Witches older than 45 are not concerned by this law if you want to know everything. They didn't precise it, but I can assure you that these women didn't receive this letter. The main purpose of this law is to repopulate the Wizarding world after all."

"And what about the wizards?"

"They still can procreate at an advanced age, I thought that you knew that since you spent your days at Hogwarts in the library," he answered, visibly irritated by her questions.

"Sure, since you got this letter too," Hermione snapped back, a provocative smile on her face.

Severus squinted and shook his head.

"You don't want to play this little game with me, trust me," he whispered, still gazing at her.

"And what if I want to? After all, I am not your student anymore; I can tell you everything that I want now," she said, crossing her arms on her chest.

Severus rose from his armchair and went closer to her, his dark gaze focused on her. He stopped a few inches from her, before leaning on the arms on her chair, reducing the distance between them.

"You are not my student anymore, I agree; but you are _my wife_ , and you owe me some respect. This is the only thing that I want from you: respect. You can hate me and talk in my back; I do not care about it. But in front of me, you will act like a proper wife, you will talk to me with decency, and you will keep your horrid Gryffindor behavior for yourself," he hissed, "am I clear?"

Slowly, Hermione nodded but kept her eyes on him, her arms still crossed on her chest.

"So I guess that I can ask the same from _my husband_ , right? I can ask him not to treat me like a child since I am obviously not one anymore, I can ask him to stop answering me like I was a toddler anytime I asked a question. I can ask him to respect me, don't you think?"

She saw Severus gritting his teeth, visibly irritated by her stubbornness.

"You can, yes...," he whispered, before taking a step back and running a hand in his hair. Then, he took the parchment on her knees and put it in his robe, without a glance for her. When he went to the entrance door, Hermione rose from her armchair and followed him until the entrance hallway.

"Where are you going? And what about the Ministry check-up?"

"I got things to do today; we'll see about that tomorrow. You can do whatever you want, but I expect you to be at home before eight o'clock," he answered in a low voice before closing the door behind him.

Hermione let out a sigh before heading to the bathroom. Severus Snape was as she thought he would be: cold, independent, and with a lot of secrets hidden beneath his dark gaze.

**XxX**

Severus knocked several times at the door of Malfoy Manor.

"I know that someone is here!," he shouted when he heard some noise behind the door. "Please open the door, whoever you are."

"What are you doing here, Severus?," a tall blonde man asked when he opened the door.

"Let me come in."

With that said, Severus almost forced the door to make his way through it, merely greeting his host with a nod. Then he headed to the living room, where he sat on the couch.

"You seem to be worried about something, dear Severus. What is wrong?," Lucius trailed off, adjusting the belt of his night robe. Severus looked at him, taking some time to consider his friend.

"Why are you here anyway? I checked the map, and it said that you were here, but you are supposed to live with Mulciber, aren't you?," Severus asked, frowning. "Is Narcissa aware that you are..."

"Yes, she is. But this is none of your business, Severus."

"Is this a joke?," Severus let out with a laugh. "You," he said, indicating Lucius with his long finger, "are supposed to marry a witch in a few weeks, and you still sleep with your ex-wife. By the way, you were supposed to find yourself a wife a long time ago. What happened? How come the Ministry gave you so much time?"

"It's hard to find someone right after a nasty divorce, don't you think?," Lucius said with a smirk. "I worked out an agreement with a Ministry employee, to tell you everything. I have two weeks left to find a new wife."

Severus rolled his eyes and put his right leg on his left.

"I see... Any idea of who the lucky witch will be?"

"To be honest, Severus, not a clue. But I'll find someone, don't worry about me," Lucius drawled, sitting next to him on the couch. "What about you? How was your wedding night with this little and gorgeous Gryffindor?"

"I would not use "gorgeous" to describe her. She was... acceptable."

"Really? I heard that Muggle-borns are quite wicked in bed, if you know what I mean. Mulciber told me once a story about a Muggle-born that he met in Diagon Alley, a few years ago. A beautiful woman, quite surprising for a Muggle-born, with some curves... Mmh, just thinking about it drives me crazy. Anyway, she was the most amazing girl that he had the occasion to put his hands on, and from now on, these creatures have had a good reputation in our... circle, if I can say it like that," Lucius finished with a wink.

"I don't even know why I'm having this conversation with you...," Severus muttered.

"Oh, come on, Severus. Don't you want to give me some details? How was she? Good enough to make you come in a minute?"

"Enough, Lucius! This situation is difficult enough like that," the man with the dark cloak said.

Lucius made a face. His friend was quite annoying these days, and he was hoping that it was just a phase.

"Well...," Lucius said softly, "why are you here then?"

Severus didn't move for a moment, and finally spoke.

"I just wanted to distract myself. She can be really annoying when she wants."

"Then you found the perfect woman for you," Lucius interrupted him, a smile on his face.

"This is not funny. Now I am stuck with this woman - what am I saying, with this _girl_! She's half my age, Lucius. I know that she is useful, but..."

"Stop now," Lucius hissed. "You know that she is useful, and it's the only thing that you have to know. She is half your age, so what? It's a good thing in the end, she will be more gullible than some older witches. Show her that you care for her, show her that you respect her, and you will be halfway. You have to behave like a real husband to her, as I think that I made quite clear two weeks ago.

"What do you want, Severus? To be a pariah _again_? To spend your old days at Spinner's End, with just an house-elf as a company? She is _your key_. I need to find mine, eventually, but you've already found yours," Lucius said, whispering just a few inches from Severus' face, his eyes wide opened. "Think about it: you just have to spend some months with her, to collect all the information that you need, that _we need,_ and you'll get rid of her, I promise you. Once we have all that we need, this law will be just a memory; just like that," he finished, snapping his fingers.

Severus hadn't talked during Lucius' monologue; he just stared at his friend with clenched teeth while waiting for him to finish.

"I guess that you are right," he finally answered in a whisper.

"And try to enjoy this time with her, one way or another," Lucius concluded with a wicked wink.

**XxX**

It was almost eight o'clock when Hermione Apparated just in front of her new home. Her home. Their home. She opened the door with the key that Severus had left on a table just next the front door, and entered. The sun was about to set, and she went to the bedroom with a bag full of curtains. She bought five of them in a Muggle shop not so far from their flat; one for each window that she saw in the living room, the bedroom, and the dining room. She spent some time to hang on the beige curtains, thick enough to stop the rays of sun in the morning.

She was about to go in the living room to do the same when she heard a key entering in the lock of the front door.

"Hi," she said, looking at Severus, her bag full of curtains in her right hand.

Severus nodded, and his gaze went to the bag that was in her hand.

"What is it?"

"Just some curtains that I bought for the flat," she answered, heading for the next window.

"You shouln't have bought that. I would have taken care of it if you had told me."

"It is not a problem, really," Hermione said, shaking her head. "They were cheap anyway."

"Let me hang them on."

Severus went closer to her, taking the bag from her hand. Their hands touched, and Hermione gave him a weak smile.

"Thank you."

Hermione looked at him while he was hanging on the curtains. He seemed to be softer than in the afternoon, and she was pleased to see it. She didn't want to have a conflicting relationship with Severus Snape. It was hard enough to have to live with this man, and she didn't want to have to suffer from their cohabitation. He was her husband, she thought, following him into the living room. He was the man that she chose. Oh, she didn't choose him because she loved him, but she chose him anyway.

In the bottom of her heart, she knew that they were stuck in this stupid Ministry law. Of course, a part of her wanted to fight back, to make everything in her power to repeal this law, but who was she to do it? She was just the girl who helped Harry Potter, not Harry Potter himself. And even him couldn't do anything against the powerful Ministry of Magic. Kingsley Shacklebolt, the Minister for Magic, was a wise man, but sometimes, even the good ones can make mistakes. It was his decision, Molly Weasley had told her, to include the Muggle-borns in this law. The blood wasn't important to him, and he believed in equality and fairness between Pure-blood, Half-blood, Muggle-born and Muggle. It was a good thing, she had to admit that, but it led to her own wedding.

"Alright, the curtains are hung on," Severus turned to her, bringing her out of her torpor.

"Oh, great. I told Gretchen to prepare a meal for tonight before going to the shop, I guess it must be ready now."

"You seem to be a fast learner," Severus said with a smile on his face.

"I got good teachers," she replied, smiling too.

Severus called Gretchen, and the little elf was here in less than a second.

"Yes, Master?"

"We are going to eat in a few minutes."

"Gretchen is on her way to get the table ready."

**XxX**

"What kind of check-up will it be?" Hermione asked, after cutting a piece of chicken.

"I don't know to be honest. They will probably check for any sign of sterility, ask us some questions about our families... Maybe some questions about our medical histories too."

"I was thinking about... What if I can't provide you with a child?," she whispered, putting her fork onto her plate.

Severus looked up to meet her eyes, frowning.

"What are you saying, Hermione? You are almost nineteen, so why are you thinking about something like that? Of course you can have children."

"Why do you seem so sure about it? I mean, I endured some... things in this war, some things that you are not aware of, and there is a possibility that some of the spells that hit me had an effect on my ability to become pregnant."

Severus raised his eyebrows, surprised by what she was telling him.

"What was the worst spell that hit you at the Battle of Hogwarts, may I know? Obviously, it wasn't a Death spell, otherwise you would not be in front of me right now," he let out with a dry laugh. "So what?"

"It wasn't during the Final Battle."

Hermione stopped talking, and put her napkin on her knees.

"But you're surely right," she resumed. "I guess that we will know tomorrow, at the check-up."

Severus frowned, suddenly worried about his wife. She was tapping on the table with her fingertips, and he understood that it was a sign of anxiety. He put his hand on hers, searching for her gaze.

"What is wrong, Hermione?," he asked, trying to soften his voice. He wanted to know what had happened to her during the War.

"Nothing, really. Let's eat, it will be cold in a few minutes."

She removed her hand from his and took her fork in her hand, avoiding his gaze. Severus looked at her for several minutes, but she didn't look up. With a sigh, he decided to do as she said and ate in silence.

He had thought that he was the only one to have secrets, but he had been obviously wrong...

* * *


	6. Chapter 5

It was almost midnight when Severus rose from his armchair, putting his potions book on the coffee table. He rubbed his eyes before gazing at his wife.

"I think that it will be a better idea if I sleep on the guest room tonight."

Hermione looked up from her own book and shook her head.

"But the Ministry..."

"I don't care about the Ministry, to be honest. Yes," he trailed off, "they said that we have to sleep in the same bed, but as far as I know, they didn't put a charm on us or on this flat. So do not worry about it, Ms. Snape, the Ministry will never know that we didn't share the same bed tonight. Moreover, I think that I will ask for an appointment with a Ministry employee tomorrow, after our check-up. There are things that are still in a blur concerning this nonsensical law that I need to figure out."

He paused, still looking at her. Hermione put her hands on her book, which she had put on her knees, waiting for him to continue.

"I guess that it would be a good idea for you to come to this meeting with me, since you are as involved as I am in this situation," he finished in a whisper.

"It seems to be a good idea, yes," Hermione answered with a little smile on her face. She was happy to see that Severus seemed finally to care about her place in his life. It wasn't a big step, but it was still something. They were husband and wife after all.

"It's settled then. We will go at the Ministry around ten o'clock tomorrow morning. Be prepared for nine and a half. Goodnight, Hermione."

He left the living room, leaving her alone, with a lamp on her right as the only source of light. The young woman let out a sigh, and opened her book once again. She was reading a book about the principal causes of death in the Wizarding World, a must for her apprenticeship at St. Mungo's that would begin at the beginning of September, in two months. She hadn't talked about it with Severus yet. She was sure that her husband thought that she was about to begin a career at the Ministry, since she always talked about that during her interviews with Minerva McGonagall when she was at Hogwarts. During her sixth year, once again, she had said that she wanted to work in the Department for the Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures, something that she had wanted to do for quite a long time. But she had changed her mind during the War, and she wasn't about to change it again. She wanted to work as a Healer now, and she was just about to fulfill her new dream.

Hermione threw a glance at the clock and began to yawn. She didn't think that it was that late, and she cursed herself for having slept in this morning. She took her book in her left hand, switched off the light next to her, and went to her bedroom, taking care not to bang into the furniture of the living room. She finally reached her bed and undressed after closing the door behind her, turning the key on the lock. She knew that Severus wouldn't come in their bedroom without knocking, but she always had been careful.

"Who do you want to hide yourself from? He's your husband, Hermione, your husband. You better understand that," she muttered to herself while skipping under the cold sheets, perfect for this hot night of July.

**XxX**

She woke up at forty past nine o'clock, awakened by the shy ray of light that managed to pass through the heavy curtains that were protecting the windows. When she was trying to open her eyes, she heard someone knocking at the door. Once, twice, then louder and louder.

"Open that door, right now!," Severus hissed.

"Just a minute, I'm coming, wait," Hermione said loudly, pushing away the sheets that were on her half-naked body, and going to the door. She unlocked it, and opened it quickly.

Severus was behind the door, visibly fuming over her. He made a step toward her, and put his left hand on the door frame, close to her head.

"What were you doing? You were supposed to be ready to leave at nine and a half! Do I really need to wake you up every morning, like a damn child?"

"I didn't think that it was that late, alright?," she answered, frowning. "It happens, it's not like we were expected at a precise hour at the Ministry, you decided to go at ten. Next time, I'll put an alarm clock, okay?"

Hermione knew that it was her fault, but at the same time, she thought that it wasn't a reason for Severus to lose his temper.

"Put something decent for God's sake, and then meet me in the living room when you are ready," he mumbled, gazing at her whole body before turning around.

She blushed when she realized that she just had a t-shirt on with her panties, and closed the door slowly behind him.

She put on "something decent" as he had asked her, and just fifteen minutes later, after spending some time in the bathroom close to the bedroom, she finally met him in the living room, a bag on her shoulder. Severus didn't take time to look at her, and directly went to the entrance door. Hermione followed him with clenched teeth, annoyed to be treated like that.

When they were outside the flat, he handed her his arm in order to Apparate together, but Hermione shook her head.

"Severus, I... I just want to say something before going to the Ministry," she began, and her husband squinted, unprepared to that.

"Go ahead," he said in a low voice, unblinking.

"We are about to go out in a public place. It's hard enough to live with you, hard enough to have to bear your sarcastic and rude way of behaving toward me. I thought that we agreed on a relation full of respect, didn't we?"

She paused, waiting for him to answer. But Severus didn't say anything, he was just staring at her. His long and black hair around his pale face was making him sinister-looking, and Hermione sighed.

"Please, say something," she whispered.

"I've got nothing to say. Maybe that I was a little rude this morning with you, but don't you think that you deserved it? It was not disrespectful, not for a second," he finally said, putting his hands behind his back and raising his head a little more.

"You're acting like a teacher right now, just stop it... You can't yell at me like you did, I hope you understand that. You had this power when I was your student, but not anymore. How many time will I need to say it?"

Severus pursed his lips in a comical way, but Hermione was not in the mood to laugh. She was upset with him, and she wanted to make that clear.

"I will do my best to change this... Slytherin behavior toward you," he began, lowering his head a little to properly meet her chestnut eyes full of stubbornness. "But you have to understand that I've never lived with a woman in these conditions, and that I will probably need some time to... deal with it," he finished, and Hermione noticed that he was clenching his teeth like she was. Her voice softened a little, and she handed him her arm.

"I guess that we can Apparate now, then."

 

**XxX**

They Apparated in a bright little alley, out of sight. Hermione took some time to recover, since she wasn't used to use this conveyance. Obviously, she had used it when she was with Ron and Harry some months before, but it wasn't enough for her to learn to like it.

"Are you okay?," Severus asked while tidying up his clothes.

"I am fine," she answered, trying to hide her uneasiness.

Severus entered an old red phone booth and incited her to do the same, with a wave of his hand.

"Come on, we have to go there together."

She followed him after looking around to see that they were alone, and closed the door behind her. Severus took the phone in his hand, dialing 62442 with his other hand. A second later, they were gone through the ground.

When they arrived in the Atrium, Severus went directly to the reception, walking through the corridor at a rapid pace. Hermione followed him from a distance, and she finally met him in front of an office. A little woman was there, and she adjusted her glasses before gazing at the couple in front of her, a disdainful look on her face.

"What can I do for you today?," she trailed off, visibly tired to ask the same question over and over again.

"We are here, my wife and I, for the check-up...," Severus just had the time to start saying.

"3rd floor, on your left. Next!"

Severus didn't answer back, but Hermione knew that he wasn't pleased with the way that this employee had talked to them. They quickly went to the elevator, and Hermione became more and more comfortable as time was passing. The Ministry had changed since the last day she had been there, hidden under another identity. People were more serene and seemed to be happy to work for the Ministry again. Peace changed everything, and in the bottom of her heart, she was happy to know that it was – partly – thanks to her, Harry and Ron. They had fought together and had been through a lot of adventures, but in the end, they had succeeded.

Severus kept his eyes fixed on the floor while they were climbing up to the third floor, his hands joined on his robe. Not a word was exchanged between them, and they finally arrived at the third floor, where the Family Affairs Department was located. Such a Department never existed before, as far as Hermione knew. It was created right after the War, to help the families to recover from their losses. A lot of them had lost everything during this dark period of the Wizarding Word, and the Family Affairs Department was providing them with help of all sorts, from financial aids to free appointments with psychologists to help them to grieve.

It was quite weird to notice that this Department was located on the 3rd floor of the Ministry Headquarters. Indeed, it was close to the Department of Magical Accidents and Catastrophes. Hermione surely wasn't the only one to notice this, since Severus let out a cynical laugh.

"These dunderheads can be right sometimes," he grumbled, "this marriage is the worst magical accident ever, and will probably lead to a catastrophe..."

Hermione stayed still, pursing her lips as if she was trying hard to keep her mouth shut. It was not the time nor the place to make a scandal. Moreover, Severus had been warned; she just needed to wait for him to act properly now.

They finally reached the last door on their left, which had an inscription on it: "Family Affairs Department". A little placard had been added just under the inscription in gold letters. Hermione squinted to read it, but Severus opened the door before she had time to do so. When he entered the office, Hermione's gaze went to the placard and she finally read it, right before she closed the door behind them.

"Knock before entering...," she muttered, rolling her eyes as she joined Severus in the middle of the office. A tall man was coming in their way, frowning, and her husband stayed still, waiting for him to come closer.

"I think that it's written on the door to knock before entering!" the tall blonde man with a short haircut said in a serious tone, looking at them both.

"Oh, well. I guess that I've missed the information," Severus drawled, a little smirk on his lips. "Anyway, since we are here... We would like to have this stupid check-up that the Ministry imposed us. Quickly, if it is not too much to ask...," he finished, and Hermione noticed that his smirk had disappeared, leaving him with a serious face.

The Ministry employee squinted at Severus Snape for long seconds, and Hermione was sure that he was about to say something mean, at the very least. Instead, he turned his attention to one of his colleagues who had been looking at them since the beginning of their exchange.

"Eterna, can you please take care of these people? I've got things to do," he asked in a soft voice, before leaving the room without another glance at Severus.

Eterna, as it seemed to be her name, rose from her chair and smiled at Hermione and Severus, before taking a pile of documents in her arms. She was a tall brunette and Hermione thought that she was one of the most beautiful women that she had ever seen. She seemed to be nice, and the former Gryffindor was relieved to know that she was the one who would take care of them instead of this weird tall blonde man.

"Hi, I'm Doctor Perkins," she began, "I'm a Healer at St. Mungo's Hospital, but I'm currently working for the Ministry. As you already know, the Ministry needs us for these check-ups..."

"Yes, we know, thanks. We would not be here otherwise. So let's get to the point, it will spare us a useless conversation," Severus cut her off.

Eterna looked at Severus before letting out a little laugh.

"Well, you're right, Mister...?"

"Snape. Severus Snape," he began in a low voice, before looking at Hermione. "And she is my wife, Hermione Snape."

"Nice to meet you both, then. If you are willing to follow me..."

Hermione was the first to move and follow the Healer, and Severus followed the two women with some reluctance. He was used to open the way, not to follow anyone.

"Alright," Eterna Perkins said when they were in another room, with a desk and three chairs around it. She sat on the chair behind the desk and invited them to take place in front of her. Then, she took a document which had been on the desk, surrounded by a dozen of other ones. "I've got your records here. Let me take a look..."

During several minutes, the room remained silent, except while Eterna was turning pages. She finally looked up at them, a smile on her face.

"Well, I guess that we can have these check-ups now. Who want to go first?"

Severus rose from his chair in a second, and nodded.

"I will. The quicker, the better...," he trailed off, and went to a room adjacent to this one, at which Eterna was pointing.

"Alright, Mrs. Snape, we will be back in fifteen to twenty minutes. Make yourself comfortable; you've got some magazines on the table next to you."

"Perfect, thank you," Hermione answered with a smile.

They disappeared through the white door, finally leaving Hermione alone.

**XxX**

 

"Do not tell me to undress, I will not do it," Severus said when Eterna closed the door behind her. She gazed at him, slightly amused by the situation.

"Do not worry, Mr. Snape, I have no intention to ask you to do something like this. You're a married man, or should I remind you of that?"

"Very funny...," the man with the black cloak said, before sitting on a chair. Eterna sat not so far from him, and put her papers on her knees.

"Well. This check-up will be focused on the things that I read in your record, mostly. There will be another "medical" part, but don't worry, it's just a check-up with my wand, nothing invasive."

"The first moron could have done that, so why did the Ministry engage Healers for this job?," Severus asked in a low voice, his hands joined under his chin.

"To make things official, I guess," she replied vaguely. "But it's not the point. I saw that," she began, scanning through her documents, "yes, that's it. I saw that you were a former Death Eater..."

"I was a spy," Severus interrupted her, in a menacing voice. "There is a difference, Miss."

Eterna looked up at him and nodded, taking a pen to write something on her document.

"Noted. Your record said that you were hospitalized at St. Mungo's Hospital ten years ago, and that you almost died then. What was you injury?"

"Nothing important," he snapped, avoiding her inquisitive look.

"Nothing important, really?," the Healer said, putting her right leg on her left. "You almost died and it was not important? That's rich."

"Why are you asking me this, anyway? I guess that there must be all that you need in your document, so can we finish this quickly?"

"The Ministry wants us to do this. It's not a cup of tea for me either, Mr. Snape, but it's my job. If you do not want to cooperate, fine. I'll just write down that you didn't want to do this check-up, and your first monthly appointment will be awful if they decide to appoint you another Ministry employee, trust me. Amongst all of my colleagues, none are as obliging as I am, but I guess that you might have already noticed that. I'm trying to be as nice as I can with you, so please, could you make an effort, Mr. Snape?," she said in a soft voice, which disturbed the Potions Master. Their eyes met, and Severus understood that she was right. He could have been appointed to someone worse.

"Well, what was your question?," he finally said in a neutral voice.

**XxX**

Hermione put the magazine back on the table when the door opened. Severus sat down next to her without a glance in her direction, and she stood up, swallowing with some difficulty. After entering the exam room, she closed the door behind her.

"Sit down, Ms. Snape," Eterna said with a bright smile.

"I hope that Severus was charming," Hermione laughed, while sitting onto the same chair where Severus had sat just some seconds ago.

Eterna let out a laugh too, and took Hermione record into her hand.

"I can't say that he was charming, but he was cooperative in the end."

The two women smiled at each other, and Hermione looked at Eterna with some respect in her eyes. Eterna Perkins was a well-known Healer, and Hermione was surprised that she hadn't recognized the woman earlier. She had only realized who Eterna was when she had seen her picture while reading one of the magazines left in the waiting room. Healer Perkins was one of the most brilliant Healers of her time, and had discovered some new surgical techniques, using her Muggle inheritance to develop the Wizarding medical world. She was a pioneer when it came to the treatment of some gynecologic diseases, which was surely the reason why the Ministry had enrolled her.

"So, Mrs. Snape, I re..."

"Call me Hermione, please. It's awkward enough to know that I'm a married woman now."

"Sure. Hermione then, I read that you are a Muggle-born. This means that there aren't a lot of things about you in your record. No hospitalization of any sort during all of your years at Hogwarts, except..."

"Except during my second year, yes," Hermione completed.

"Basilisk?," Eterna frowned.

"Exactly. I was petrified by a Basilisk when I was 13 years old. I wasn't hospitalized at St. Mungo's back then, though. Madam Pomfrey took care of me during weeks before I recovered."

"She did an amazing job at Hogwarts," Eterna Perkins nodded. "I heard that she won't work at Hogwarts anymore, even with the end of the War. A pity, really."

"I agree."

"Well... I guess that there are not a lot of things to say about you, Hermione. But maybe you want to tell me something else?"

Hermione hesitated for a couple of seconds, but finally shook her head.

"No, everything is fine with me I guess."

Eterna smiled and pointed at something that looked like a bed, in the corner of the room.

"I'm going to ask you to lay down and to raise your t-shirt a bit. It won't hurt you; it's just a gynecologic protocol to see if you can procreate."

Hermione swallowed hard, but eventually went to the medical table and laid down. Eterna approached her, a smile still on her face as she raised her wand.

"Relax," she said with a wink.

Hermione closed her eyes and took a deep breath. A second later, she felt something warm on her belly, and she opened her eyes to see a red color just above her stomach, shining like a burning sun. Eterna frowned and lowered her wand, a worried expression on her face.

"Is something wrong?," Hermione asked in a concerned voice.

"No, I'll just cast the spell once again, it's not 100% effective you know."

The Healer raised her wand again, and for the second time, a red light emanated from Hermione's stomach. Eterna finally removed her wand from over her stomach once again, and told Hermione to sit up.

Hermione's heart was beating fast inside her chest while she quickly lowered her t-shirt, while Eterna sat on her chair, scanning through her documents.

"Is there anything that I should know about?," Hermione whispered.

"Have you told me everything, Hermione?"

Hermione didn't answer right away, but she nodded.

"Everything, really?," Eterna asked again.

"Everything that I thought was important," Hermione answered, looking at her feet. "Is this really bad?," she added.

"I'm not going to hide this from you any longer, Hermione. When there is a red light like that, it doesn't mean that you can't have children, otherwise it would have been black. It means that there are some problems with your ovaries. To say it in other words, you're not sterile, but it's possible that you will have some problems to procreate in the future. If you can procreate without problems, then there is a possibility that there will be some risks during your pregnancy. Obviously, we can't know that with just a little spell like the one that I just casted. You have to go through a battery of tests to know exactly what is your problem down there. I have to say that it would help me to understand what your problem is if you told me what happened to you, but since you don't seem to want to do so...," Eterna said, looking at Hermione to see if she was changing her mind.

But the former Gryffindor Know-it-all just raised her head to meet the Healer's eyes, and smiled lightly.

"Well, it's a good thing to know that I am not sterile. I guess that it's all we have to know for now, don't you agree?"

Eterna nodded slowly, and tidied up her documents.

"If you say so, Hermione."

"Just something... I don't want Severus to know about this. It's important."

Eterna raised her eyebrows. "Don't worry about it, we are not allowed to share this kind of information with anyone, not even with your husband."

Hermione nodded and rose from her chair.

"Should I wait for you in the other room?," she asked.

"I'm coming in a minute."

**XxX**

Severus rose when Hermione entered the room, alone.

"Is everything okay?," he asked with some concern in his voice. Hermione remembered the discussion that she had with him the night before, and she smiled at him.

"Yes, fine. Everything's fine."

Eterna Perkins joined them just at this moment.

"Everything is fine. I am just going to write a report about your check-ups, and send it to the Head of the Family Affairs Department. You will soon receive a letter about your monthly appointments with all the necessary information about this."

Severus nodded. "Just one more thing," he began, "is it possible to see a Ministry employee to discuss about the Marriage Law today?"

Eterna pursed her lips, as if she was embarrassed by his question.

"I don't think that it's possible. For now, there are just the Healers in the office, since there are a lot of check-ups to do these days. But I guess that it will calm down in two or three weeks, and then the real Ministry employees will come back. Until then..."

"Until then, we have to deal with it," Severus cut her off. "I've got the message, thanks," he said with a smirk.

"Just try to see the good part of this. Not everything is black or white, Mr. Snape," Eterna smiled. "Have a nice day."

With that, she opened the door for them, and Hermione and Severus went through it, with a nod for the Healer.

They walked in silence to the Family Affairs Department exit door, and Hermione finally broke the silence when they arrived in front of the elevator.

"Do you have things to do today?"

"I have to work on a potion. You can do whatever you want," he trailed off while entering inot the elevator, and Hermione followed him.

"Alright then. I was thinking about going to the Burrow..."

"It is not a problem for me. You are my wife, not my child, remember?," Severus answered with a little smile on his face.

For the first time, Hermione saw another facet of his personality. For the first time, he seemed to be nice to her, genuinely nice.

"Of course, I remember," she smiled back at him.

 


	7. Chapter 6

**Becoming One**

**Chapter 6**

* * *

"Ginevra Weasley! Come here right now!," Molly Weasley shouted out.

The youngest Weasley rolled up her eyes, visibly irritated by her mother.

"Damn, Harry, believe it or not, but I'm really happy to go back to Hogwarts in two months. Living with Mom is a real pain these days...," she mumbled, getting down from her bed.

Harry let out a laugh and closed the Potions book they were studying just a minute before.

"Don't forget what she went through... What we all went through," he said, kissing her hand before she went up to the door.

She turned around, looking at Harry Potter, the man that she had learned to love during her schooling at Hogwarts. She gave him a shy smile, but it didn't reach her eyes, unfortunately.

"Yeah, I know... How can I forget," she whispered before opening the door and going to the stairs.

"'Coming Mom!," she shouted, and Harry let his gaze go through the window of Ginny's room. Arthur and Molly were nice enough to let him live at the Burrow since the end of the War. He was sleeping in George and Fred's old bedroom, and everything in this room reminded him about the Weasley twin who died at Hogwarts, almost two months ago. George had moved out in his flat above his shop, Weasley's Wizard Wheezes, with Angelina Johnson. He had accepted to marry her in order to compel with the Marriage Law, and they were supposed to have a proper wedding in two weeks.

The Weasleys were still grieving the loss of one of their child, and Harry knew that Molly was happy to organize the wedding of George and Angelina, as she was happy to organize Hermione's one. Indeed, it helped her to keep her mind focused on something, in order to stop thinking about her dead son everyday. How could he blame her? He was doing the same to forget about all the people he had lost during this War and before it. Tonks, Remus, Fred... A year before, Dumbledore died, and two years prior, it was his newly found godfather, Sirius Black.

In a different way, the dead of Hedwig had also been very hard for him. One might say that it was just an owl, but it was Hedwig; the owl that had been with him during five years of his life, the owl that was with him during his awful holidays at the Dursleys.

So many people had died around him; all of them because they had wanted to protect his life. All of them.

" _They wanted to protect a cause_ ," he muttered to himself, but it was hard to accept.

He passed a hand in his dark and short hair, revealing the scar that was on his forehead. This scar had been the beginning of everything that he had gone through during almost eighteen years of his life. But it was over now. He finally had the opportunity to have a normal life, surrounded by the people who were important to him.

Some minutes passed, and Harry's gaze was still fixed on the garden of the Burrow. Suddenly, someone opened the door of Ginny's room, and the Boy Who Lived turned his attention to who it was.

"Am I interrupting something?", a feminine voice raised from the doorstep.

"Hermione?," Harry frowned, "What for Merlin's sake are you doing here!"

He went to take her in his arms, giving her a sweet and friendly hug.

"It seems to have been such a long time since the last time I had the opportunity to see you... I didn't think that sending you an owl would be a good idea, since you are living with Snape now...," he said, pursing his lips.

"He's not as bad as everybody thinks, don't worry," Hermione said in a soft voice, taking a step back from her best friend. "Well, to be honest, he's still a little rude toward me and he says things that can be... harsh sometimes, but I think that we are on the right path. He just needs a little more time, I think. So do I."

Harry nodded, wanting to believe in what Hermione had just said. He knew that Snape wasn't a bad person since he had seen it himself through the Pensieve two months ago. But still... He was Severus Snape, the worst teacher he had ever had in all his schooling, the Head of Slytherin, the worst Hogwarts' house to his eyes.

"So I guess that it's useless to go and blackmail him in order to force him to be nice to you, right?," Harry asked, a little laugh in his voice.

"Oh, come on!," Hermione laughed, punching him a little on the arm. "Of course not. Actually, we were just at the Ministry this morning. I came here right when we finished our check-ups with a Healer."

"What kind of check-up? I didn't hear about it..."

Two weeks ago, Harry had just accepted a position at the Auror office. He would have to work under the order of the Minister of Magic, and he wanted to know as much as possible about what the Ministry was up to these days. He was supposed to take his position in two weeks, and was quite impatient to do so. But Kingsley had incited him to wait a little longer. The War was still too vivid a memory to everyone, and especially to Harry, Kingsley had thought. He also wanted to make an ultimate Order of the Phoenix reunion, to make sure that everything was okay.

Hermione made a wave with her hand, and shook her head at the same time.

"Something necessary, according to them. They just wanted to make sure that Severus and I are capable of having children in the future."

"And is everything okay?," Harry let out, suddenly worried. He knew about what Hermione had gone through during the War, and he had felt a little responsible of that for some days.

A shy smile appeared on the girl's face, and she nodded slowly.

"Yeah, everything's okay. I guess that I have to give an offspring to Severus Snape now, ugh," she uttered while making a face.

"I'm sure that this law will be repealed before you're forced to."

"I'm not that sure to be honest. I think that it could be a good thing to have the opportunity to talk to Kingsley about it... Severus wanted to have an appointment with a Ministry employee today, but he didn't succeed, none of the Ministry employees being able to receive him. But we, Harry, we can do something...," she whispered, looking right into his green eyes.

Harry let out a sigh. "I don't know if we can _do_ something, but at least I guess that we can try. We are supposed to have a last Order reunion next week, did you hear about that?"

"No, to be honest... I supposed that they sent me an owl here?"

"It's possible, yes, I think that we received an owl with your name on your wedding day," Harry nodded. "Anyway, we've got a reunion next Monday at Grimmauld Place, and Kingsley will obviously be there. It is supposed to be the last one, so maybe then we will have the opportunity to talk to him about that right after the meeting, or maybe during the reunion if the discussion goes this way..."

"What would we say?," Hermione asked, crossing her arms on her chest. "Obviously, we can say that we are against this law, but what would our arguments be?"

"You are the brain between us two, should I remind you of that?"

"Don't be silly, Harry. It's not about who is the cleverest between us, it's about what we know about this War and the effects that it had on all of us, on all of the people in the Wizarding World. We suffered a lot, and even Molly or Arthur could find some arguments against this law... Or for it, it might depend. Anyway. We can all try."

"I know, Hermione, I know...," Harry sighed. "It's just that... You know, _you_ are in the best position to argue about this law. I'm not saying that you are the only one in this boat," he cut her off when he saw her opening her mouth to retort, "but you know what are the pros and cons, and I just don't."

"Please, it's just been two days since I've got this damn ring on my finger!," Hermione shouted, showing him her left hand. "I'm not saying that I am not in a position to argue, far from it. I'm just saying that I can't be both judge and jury here. Kingsley would think that I'm just arguing with him against this law because I'm married to _Snape_. And well, he would be right, in a way, but it's not the only reason."

"So, this is your... new S.P.E.W.? Sort of?," Harry said, trying to make a joke.

"It's not funny," Hermione grumbled. "This one is not a lost cause... I hope so. Kingsley is a wise man, right?"

"Sure, he is," Harry frowned. "But I don't understand something, Hermione. You just admitted that your relation with Snape wasn't that bad, and now..."

"It's not because things are a little better than I expected that I am okay with this marriage. I agreed with it just because I had to, not because I wanted to, you know that, Harry...," she whispered, softening her voice a little. "I am so young, Harry, I am not supposed to be someone's wife at eighteen year-old. Especially not Severus Snape's wife. Can you see me spending my whole life with him?" she finished, her eye wide opened, as if she was scared of her own words.

Harry shook his head, laughing.

"Not for a second, to be honest," he began. "If only Ron was..."

"He's not, end of the discussion," Hermione said in a cold voice, turning her back to Harry, heading to the door. "Well, I guess that we can join Ginny and the others, now, what do you think?"

**XxX**

"They _what_?"

Molly Weasley put her right hand just in front of her mouth in order to cover it. Hermione nodded with a grave face, and pushed her dessert away from her.

"You've heard me right. I have two years to have a child."

"But this is total nonsense!," Molly shouted, taking her frying pan in her hand and trying to wipe it clean. "I'm telling you, nowadays, this Ministry is so... so...!"

She didn't finish her sentence, and just shook her hand during a long time.

"Well, I guess that they have their reasons...," Arthur tried to calm his wife down. "We suffered some losses during this War, they're right about this point..."

Molly softened a little while listening to her husband talking about their losses. They had suffered the worst of them: losing a child. Molly Weasley had never thought that something like that could ever occur, to be honest. She was a protective mother, and even in these times of War, she had thought that she could always have been able to protect them, one way or another. But Fred had been unlucky, and his death has been a burden for her since then.

"Yes, we did," she whispered, putting the frying pan in the kitchen sink. "Do you know anything further about this law, Arthur?"

"No, to be honest... They don't talk a lot about it at the Ministry. I just heard one employee of the new Department relative to the Family Affairs talking about it last day, and it seems to be quite a blur even for them. They just listen to the Minister. It seems that they try to avoid the plaintiffs as much as they can right now, since they don't know what to say."

"I thought that this Ministry would be better, with Kingsley at its Head, but ah!", Molly complained. "I guess that they are all the same..."

"Don't say that, Molly," Harry intervened. "We all know Kingsley, I'm sure that he's got his reasons."

"To repopulate the Wizarding World, right? But my dear boy, we lost a lot of people, but it's not like more than fifty per cent of the population is dead. We are still here. Eventually, people would make some babies, but why rushing things? No, really, I'm against it," she shook her head again.

Hermione had remained silent since Molly had begun to talk. She was looking at her hands on her knees, trying not to listen to all the things the Weasley matriarch was saying. Molly was right, obviously, but Hermione was suddenly tired to hear all this fuss about the Marriage Law. Harry was right: _she_ was stuck in it, not them. They were free, free to live their lives, free to recover from the War the way they wanted to. She, on the other hand, was obliged to live with Severus Snape.

She rose from her chair and tried to look good in front of them, putting a fake smile on her lips. Next to her, Ginny looked up at her, frowning.

"What's going on, Hermione?"

"I'm just... I think that it would be a good idea for me to go home right now, it's quite late already..."

"Oh my dear Hermione, it's just three o'clock on the afternoon!," Molly shouted, "and you didn't even finish your dessert."

"I'm not really hungry anyway," she excused herself, still smiling.

"Mmh... I hope that Severus didn't give you a curfew or something like that?," Ginny's mother asked in a suspicious voice.

"No, not at all. I've just got things to do," she began. "Well, I'll come here on Monday, or would it be a better idea to join you at Grimmauld Place directly?"

"As you wish," Harry responded. "The meeting is at seven o'clock."

"Noted. Have a nice day then. And Molly," she said, turning to her best friend's mother, "thanks for the meal."

"It's always a pleasure," she whispered, giving her a hug. "Come here whenever you want, my dear. And take care of yourself..."

Hermione smiled at her, and left the Burrow with a wave of her hand. All of their eyes were on her, as if she was going to her own grave or something. She tried to ignore it, and once outside the house, quickly Apparated away.

**XxX**

Severus was in his laboratory when Hermione arrived at home. The door of his office was closed, but she could hear the noise of some potion brewing in a cauldron even from afar. She headed to her bedroom to put down her bag, and returned in the living room. She noticed another door next to the laboratory's one, and while she was wondering what could be behind it, the door opened slowly, and Gretchen appeared, a little smile on her face.

"Hello, Mistress Snape. Do you need Gretchen's help?"

Hermione knelt down in front of the house elf, not wanting to appear intimidating.

"Actually, I was just wondering what was behind that door," she explained, pointing to the door that was behind the elf, "but now I know. It's your bedroom, right?"

Gretchen nodded. "Yes, it it. Master Snape is kind enough to let Gretchen have her own bedroom. Gretchen is really happy with her Master."

"I can see that," Hermione smiled. "Can I have a look?"

"Of course, Mistress Snape, this is your house! You don't have to ask Gretchen the permission to do it."

Gretchen stepped aside, letting Hermione enter her own bedroom. It was a small room, but comfortable enough for a house elf. The bed seemed to be well-made and cozy, and there was another door in her bedroom, leading to a small bathroom.

When she left Gretchen's bedroom, satisfied by what she just saw, Hermione was surprised to see Severus Snape a few steps from the door, his hands crossed on his chest, looking at her in an inquisitive way.

"What are you doing here that early?," he drawled, while Hermione was closing the bedroom's door behind her. Next to Severus, Gretchen stayed still, her eyes fixed on the floor.

"I wanted to come back home, it's that simple."

"Were the Weasleys that boring? I guess that they pressed you with many questions about our "life together"," Severus said, a little smirk on the corner of his lips.

"Not at all," she lied. "They were charming, as usual. I just had things to do here."

"Oh, really?," Severus let out, raising his right eyebrow. "And what kind of things, may I know?"

"It's not because we're husband and wife that I have to say everything to you," she said in a low voice, and headed to her bedroom without another word. Of course, she didn't have anything special to do, but it wasn't his concern.

"Well, you know, if you don't tell me everything, it's not a problem, really," Severus' voice resonated behind her. "One way or another, I would find out, be sure of that."

Hermione froze, and turned again to look at him. He was imposing with his black cloak around his shoulders, almost intimidating. Slowly, he took a letter from his pocket, and raised it in the air.

"What is it?," Hermione whispered.

"Oh, nothing important," he trailed off. "Or maybe it is... It's a letter from the Ministry actually. There were three of them, to be honest. I received them one or two hours ago, I don't really remember," he finished, frowning as if he was trying to remember.

A silence settled between them. Hermione was torn: she wanted to know what was the letter about, but at the same time...

"You seem to whiten a little, my dear wife," Severus continued, shaking the letter in his hand. "Well, as I suppose that you have already understood, this letter in a summary of today's check-up. _Your_ check-up."

"Give it to me," Hermione snapped, moving toward him. "This is a secret file, she said that you would never know!"

It was a nightmare, it had to be, Hermione thought. The last thing that she wanted was that Severus learned about what had happened to her and the consequences of it. It was none of his business. She didn't want his concern, or worse, his pity.

Severus raised an eyebrow, but gave her the letter. Hermione took it with shaking hands and tried to open it, without success. She looked up at Severus, and she saw that her husband was also looking at her, half-amused, and half-concerned.

"Why can't I...?"

"Because this letter is sealed, Hermione," Severus answered. "You, and only you can open it. You just have to put your finger on the right corner of the parchment, and it will open."

Her eyes wide opened, Hermione didn't move for some seconds. When she seemed to recover from her moment of doubt, she shook her head, squeezing the parchment in her right hand.

"But you just said that you''ve read it," she whispered, trying to hide her embarrassment.

"I never said such a thing, as far as I remember," Severus said in a low voice. "You thought I did. And now I know that there's something wrong about this check-up, something that you are trying to hide from me. I demand to know _now_ ," he hissed, his eyes darting on the young woman.

"You have no right to know. This is a personal business, and it will stay this way. Now if you don't mind..."

She was about to leave again when he took her by her right arm, forcing her to come closer to his chest. Hermione was just a few inches from his face, and she had to raise her head in order to catch his gaze. She never had the occasion to be that close to him, except on their wedding night. But even on their wedding night, it had been different, since the room had been only lit by some candles. She hadn't had the occasion to see his features from that close; to notice that his eyes were as dark as the night, that his lips were as thin as paper, and that his nose wasn't as hooked that it seemed to be. It would have been a lie to say that he was an handsome man, but he wasn't repulsive either.

"What are you looking at?," Severus whispered, suddenly realizing how close from him was his wife. Instinctively, he released his grip on her arm, but Hermione didn't step back. She just continued to look at him, until the moment she realized that he wasn't holding her anymore. Then, she took a step back and tried to focus.

"Nothing," she answered. "I think that I should go..."

A minute later, Severus Snape was still staring at the hallway leading to their bedroom, where she had disappeared.

**XxX**

It was when Hermione sat in the dining room just in front of him, that Severus remembered that she hadn't told him what he had wanted to know in the afternoon. During the long hours that he had spent in the laboratory, he hadn't thought about it, not for a second. The only image that had been stuck in his mind since earlier was the one when Hermione's face had been a few inches from his, and when he had had the opportunity to have a closer look at her young beauty.

Because he had to admit: his wife was stunning. Oh, she wasn't a pure beauty as some Pure-blood witches, with their aristocratic air and their long and well-disciplined hair. Hermione was different. She had these crazy brown curls falling down on her shoulders, making her look younger than she actually was, and she had the most vivid chestnut eyes that he had ever seen. She wasn't a tall woman like Eterna Perkins, but she was of average height.

Of course, Hermione wasn't a love interest for him, but he was still a man after all. Suddenly, Lucius' words echoed in his head: " _try to enjoy this time with her, one way or another_ ".

They ate in silence, trying to avoid each other gaze as much as they could. Both of them were disturbed by the moment they had shared in the afternoon, and clearly, none of them wanted to have a discussion about it.

In a way, Hermione was happy with the situation. Since he was so disturbed by it, Severus seemed to have forgotten about the letter. She had read it once she had been on her bedroom. It was just a note from Healer Perkins saying that she could have children, but it also mentioned that she could have some problems relative to a future pregnancy. At the end of the letter, a little paragraph invited her to make a battery of tests in order to understand what the problem was.

Lost in her thoughts, Hermione didn't hear Severus talking. But when she noticed that his dark gaze was fixed on her, she realized it.

"I beg your pardon?," she asked.

"You were more attentive in class, Miss...," he noticed with a smile.

Hermione blushed, and put her fork onto her plate.

"I'm sorry... Please, go ahead."

"I was actually saying that there were three letters."

"Yes, you've already told me," Hermione managed to say before taking a sip of water, in order to relax.

"Yes, I did. Two of them were our check-up results, and the other one was about our monthly appointments."

"Oh. I see... What about them?"

"The first one will take place in three weeks from now. I still don't know who the employee will be, but I know that it will take place here."

"I guess that they want to know if we are sleeping together and how we manage to deal with our new life together."

"Yes, I think that it is what they want to know, mainly," Severus nodded. "It would be a great idea to... you know... talk about the behavior that we should have on that day."

"Sure. But we have quite some time ahead, right?"

Severus nodded again, and they finished their dishes in silence.

They spent their evening the same way they did the night before: sitting in the living room and reading books, while drinking some iced tea. It was refreshing, Hermione thought. There were no drama between them during these moments; they were just two people sharing the same thing: the pleasure of reading. From time to time, Hermione looked up from her book and let her gaze derive toward Severus. He was focused on his own book, and she was fascinated by the way he was sitting in his armchair. His back was straight, and he had put his right leg onto his left. There was something aristocratic which emanated from him, something hard to describe.

Suddenly, Severus looked up at her, and for a second, their eyes met. But Hermione quickly looked down, trying to focus once again on her book.

But for the first time of her life, she couldn't.


	8. Chapter 7

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It's getting... welll... thougher.

**Becoming One**

**Chapter 7**

* * *

A week later, Hermione was looking at her ring on her left hand. The diamond upon it was still shining brilliantly, and reminded her of her new status. She still had some trouble when she had to give her name to strangers, and sometimes, in a slip of tongue, Granger was the name that she let out instead of Snape.

It was surprising to notice that, when he was next to her during these moments, Severus never told her off. At best, he just looked at her, a smirk on his face.

They didn't talk that much together, preferring to spend their free time alone, in the laboratory for him, in the newly discovered office with large bookcases for her. They've got used to eat together at night, and those moments were an occasion for them to talk a little more about their days, and their passions. About them and their new life together, in order to prepare their upcoming meeting with a Ministry employee.

Hermione looked at the place in the bed next to her, which remained empty. For the umpteenth time, Severus had decided to sleep alone. This time, however, he had argued that he had to work in his laboratory late in the night, and that he hadn't wanted to disturb her sleep. But she felt more and more disturbed by the idea of sleeping alone. Indeed, even if the Ministry hadn't said anything about it yet, she had a feeling that they would not be really happy to know that Severus and her hadn't slept together since their wedding night.

And what would they do if they were forced to sleep together again? Hermione didn't know if she was ready to go through this experience anew. Her first time hadn't been as bad as she had thought, but still... Severus Snape might be becoming easier to live with, but at the end of the day, he remained the same person she'd known before: a man with so much more experience of life than her, a man who didn't seem very pleased to have to deal with her presence by his side every day, even if he managed to hide it well. But Hermione knew that, when he left their flat in the middle of the night, it wasn't for any good reason.

Was he seeing some prostitutes? As awkward as it was, the idea crossed Hermione's mind several times in the past few days. Why else would he be leaving their home often in the dead of the night, if it wasn't for this? Last night, she had heard again the noise of the key sliding into the door lock. Of course, Severus had said that he had had to work late, but Hermione had known that it hadn't been doing that.

She sighed and put her feet down onto the warm wooden floor. The weather in London was close to perfection at this time of the year, and not having to sleep in pajamas was rather enjoyable.

But every good thing always came with an inconvenient, as Hermione realized when she saw her reflection in the mirror above the sink of the bathroom, while she was raising her arms to fasten her hair with an elastic band in order to take a shower. Suddenly, her eyes met the large bruises on both of her arms. She quickly closed her eyes, and waited for the memories to recede. She didn't want to think about this, not now. Today, she thought while opening her eyes just after doing her hair in a messy bun, was her opportunity to give her opinion about this Marriage Law. It was now or never.

And never wasn't an option for Hermione.

**XxX**

"Don't you think that it's quite late already, Severus?"

The tall man sank further into the sofa, without a glance for the man who'd just talked.

"Your lack of precision has always been laughable, Mulciber. I wonder how you've managed to cast so many Unforgivable Curses during these two Wars... For your information, it's quite early in the morning, since the sun is already up, shining upon this room, which is in an appalling state" Severus drawled, before taking another sip of firewhiskey.

Mulciber frowned, and tapped his fingertips on the arm of his chair, his eyes darting on Severus. The blonde man next to him let out a cynical laugh, before raising his glass.

"Come on, gentlemen. This firewhiskey doesn't seem to do you any good. I'm currently asking myself if it wouldn't be a better idea to hide it from now on."

"But then, you'd have to stop drinking it too, Lucius," Severus snapped. "And I don't think that it's a good idea."

"Oh Severus, such a wise man...," Lucius retorted with a smirk. "Anyway... It seems that I've found myself a wife: _the perfect one_."

"Who is she?," Mulciber trailed off. "I hope that you won't need to dirty your hands with some Mudblood...," he finished, his eyes still fixed on Severus. The latter didn't move, but if Mulciber had been close enough to see it, he would have noticed that Severus' jaw was clenched.

Lucius shook his head, visibly proud of himself. "Not at all, old friend, not at all! I couldn't be happier to be honest. She came to me; can you imagine?," he asked, excited like a kid. "A Ministry employee... No, she's more important than just that. She's close to Kingsley... Now, you can be jealous, gentlemen."

Severus frowned and put down his glass onto his knees.

"I beg your pardon? Someone close to Kingsley actually wants to marry you?," he asked in a low voice. "You must be kidding me..."

"Not at all, Severus. She came and offered herself to me. What a pleasant surprise, don't you think?"

"A pleasant surprise?," Mulciber hissed. "Severus just laughed about my lack of precision, but now I think that I can laugh about your lack of brain, Lucius."

"And for what reason, may I know, Mulciber?," Lucius asked in a cold voice.

Severus moved his glass of firewhiskey onto the coffee table, making a loud sound. The two other men turned their attention to the man with the black cloak, waiting for him to speak.

"Don't you think, Lucius, that this sudden apparition might be too good to be true?," Severus whispered. "You needed to find someone close to the Ministry, and then this lady miraculously appeared on your doorstep? Just use your brain, or rather what you have left of it, to think about it for just a second... Isn't this coincidence _weird_?"

"It's not any weirder than you marrying that young Mudblood as far as I am concerned," Lucius drawled. "Look, Severus. It would have been weird if it had happened like what you're describing. But it was far from it. Actually, we met at the Ministry when I went there to fill in some papers about the divorce. She was working on my case, actually. She saw that I needed a wife, and well... She needed a husband too," he said, puffing off his chest.

"Lucius, you are delusional...," Mulciber let out, shaking his head with a perfidious smile on his face.

"Really?," the blond man hissed. "As far as I know, I'm not the one who is stuck in a marriage with an ugly woman here..."

"How dare you..."

"This is _not_ the moment for an argument," Severus cut them off, snapping his fingers loudly. "Lucius, if you think that your plan remains safe..."

"I know that my plan is still safe. Look, Severus," he began, turning his attention solely to the Potions Master, "I know what I am doing. The Ministry doesn't have a clue about what I am planning, not a single clue. They think that I am trying to get in line, but they are obviously wrong. Well, let us consider for just a second that this Ministry employee only wants to marry me to keep an eye on me... Good for her!," he shouted. "Really good for her... But trust me: no one except us and the few friends we have left know and will know about this plan. No one, Severus," he finished in a whisper.

Severus slowly nodded, and took back his glass of alcohol. Mulciber grumbled for some seconds.

"I guess that you have to find your own house now Lucius..."

"Exactly, Mulciber. You're about to live with only your pleasant wife as company, I'm afraid," the former Death Eater said with a smirk.

"What's her name?," Severus eventually asked.

"Calypso something... Unknown in our circle. Better this way, I guess."

"Well, I guess that we'll meet her soon, won't we, Lucius?"

Their eyes met, and Lucius nodded.

"Of course you will. Of course..."

**XxX**

Severus didn't come home before three in the afternoon. Hermione was in the office, reading a medical book, when she heard the characteristic noise of the key in the lock. She didn't look up from her book, knowing that he wouldn't search for her at all. From afar, she also heard another door open, and she guessed that it was his laboratory's door, close to the room where she was.

Some hours later, Hermione dropped off her book and left the office, heading for her bedroom in order to grab her bag. It was almost seven o'clock, and she was expected at Grimmauld Place for the Order reunion. She hadn't had the occasion to talk about it with Severus, but she thought that he was aware of this meeting since he was a part of the Order after all. Even if it hadn't been the case during the last year, everyone knew that he'd always been on their side. Everyone.

She saw Gretchen's little face in the kitchen when she headed to the door, and gave her a little smile.

A minute later, she was gone.

**XxX**

The sun was still shining over London when she apparated in front of 12, Grimmauld Place. No one was around, and she climbed the few steps leading to the heavy door, and knocked thrice. It took almost a minute before someone opened the door, and Hermione saw the friendly face of Molly Weasley.

"Oh, Hermione, come in, come in... Isn't Severus with you?"

"No, actually," she said while passing through the front door. "I didn't have any opportunity to talk to him today, unfortunately."

Molly frowned and closed the door behind Hermione.

"Really? How come, my dear?"

"Well, you know... Severus is a busy man," she smiled. "We aren't at odds with each other, don't worry."

"I hope so," Molly said in a concerned voice. "The last thing I want to learn is that he is avoiding you. This situation is not your fault, my dear, not at all. I hope that he realizes that."

Hermione answered with a smile, and followed Molly into the living room. A few people were there, and Hermione recognized Harry, of course, along with the Weasleys, including Bill and Fleur, Minerva McGonagall who gave her a shy smile, and of course, Hagrid who was struggling to sit on the sofa that someone had enlarged for him. In the corner of the room, she saw Kingsley talking to Dedalus Diggle and a woman she didn't know, before the Minister's gaze fell on her, looking truly surprised.

"Hermione Granger?," he said, frowning. " What for Merlin's sake are you doing here?"

Hermione froze, and looked at Harry who seemed to be as embarrassed as she actually was.

"Well, I was invited, as a member of the Order...," she said slowly, not knowing if it was the right answer to give.

Kingsley shook his head, and frowned.

"You weren't, as far as I know. Do you have the letter with you?"

"I don't... Harry just told me that I had received it some days ago, and I assumed...," she began but didn't finish her sentence.

Harry took a step toward her and nodded vigorously.

"That's right, Kingsley. I didn't open it, but since she's a part of the Order and she received it the same day that I did..."

"No, Harry," Kingsley cut him off in a neutral voice. "Hermione wasn't invited today. Not all the Order was invited actually. So, I'm sorry Hermione," he continued, turning his attention to her, "but you can't stay."

Hermione looked at him for several seconds, not knowing what to do. Eventually, she opened her mouth, searching for the right words.

"You can't do that. You can't tell me to go away like that. _I helped you_. I fought next to you during this War, I almost gave my life for this cause, and now you're asking me to back off? What did I do wrong?," she snapped, visibly irritated by his reaction toward her.

"You did nothing wrong, Hermione," Kingsley sighed, "but you have to understand that we are here to discuss some... hot topics, if I can say it like that."

"And you want to hide those from _me_? What have I done exactly? When did I deceive you, or worse, when did I betray one of the Order's secrets?"

A heavy silence settled in the room, and even Minerva McGonagall seemed to be uncomfortable with the situation. Her eyes were fixed on the floor, and at this exact moment, Hermione understood that she was the only one in the room, except Harry and the Weasleys perhaps, who didn't know what was the problem here.

"Can somebody tell me what the problem is?," she whispered quietly, trying to calm down. The whole situation seemed to be highly irregular. She had always been invited to the Order's meetings, without exception. What could have changed so much in two months? Suddenly, her eyes went around the room, scanning for the umpteenth time everybody who was present. Then, she noticed that Severus, her husband, wasn't there... yet. But what if he hadn't been invited like her? What if...

Hermione looked at Kingsley, and frowned.

"Is this about the Marriage Law?," she began quietly. "Is this related to the fact that I'm married with Severus Snape?"

"Hermione, the best that you can do...," Kingsley said after clearing up his throat.

"That's it, isn't it?," she cut him off. "You've got a problem with Severus, and that's my fault? Really, Kingsley?," she finished, suddenly angry.

Minerva took a step toward her and sighed.

"Kingsley, I think that Miss Granger is right, we can't decide to leave her in the dark just because she is married to Severus..."

"That's the whole point, Minerva, don't you understand?," Kinsley snapped back. "We can't trust her, Severus is her husband, for Merlin's sake. What can assure me that she would not tell him everything? Does you have any guarantee, Minerva? Do one of you can tell me without a doubt that she would not betray us?"

Nobody said a word during long seconds. Hermione was looking at them, at all of them, hoping to hear something in her favor. But nothing came. Eventually, Harry nodded.

"I can," he said in a calm and strong voice.

With some hesitation, Molly stepped up, taking Arthur's arm in her hand.

"We can too," were her only words.

Arthur nodded, and looked at his other children, who did the same.

"It's Hermione," George said. "I would trust her with my life."

"I agree," Hagrid said in a loud voice, making everyone turn to him. "Our little Gryffindor's princess is a woman of trust, ya must understand it, Minister."

"And you have my word, too," Minerva finally said, a little smile on her face. She then turned her attention to Hermione, and gave her a wink.

The other people in the living room didn't know her well enough to her to do the same, but eventually, Kingsley nodded with a sigh.

"I see that you've got many friends here, Hermione... I'm not sure if it's a good idea, but since you are here already..."

A weak smile appeared on Hermione's face, and she nodded at everyone, silently thanking them for defending her against Kingsley.

"But you have to know, Hermione, that this project of us is a secret matter. Nobody must hear about it except us. Can I trust you?," he squinted, darting his gaze on her.

"You have my word, Minister," she answered in a softer voice. "I would never do anything against the Order, I swore this some time ago, and nothing has changed since."

The Minister of Magic froze for a moment, but eventually moved, heading for the dining room.

"Please follow me."

The living room soon was empty, as they all took a seat around the imposing wood table of the dining room. Kingsley took a seat at the head of the table in order to be able to see everyone during the meeting. Molly transformed a chair for Hagrid, enlarging it like she did with the sofa in the living room.

"Thank you, Molly," Hagrid managed to say while taking a seat. "The truth is, I've got some trouble to sit when I'm not at home, especially since I've started to grown older... Almost an old man, hey!," he finished in a laugh.

"Don't be silly, dear, you're not that old," Molly laughed too.

"Sixty eight year-old, more or less. Quite old, quite old," he mumbled. "Don't ya think Harry?"

A few chairs from him, Harry smiled. "Not that much, Hagrid, don't worry."

"I don't think that it's the place to talk about everyone's age...," Minerva McGonagall finally cut them off, a weird expression on her face. She seemed to be annoyed by their conversation, and Hermione thought that the professor probably wasn't really comfortable with her own age.

Hermione took her place next to the young woman who had been talking to Kingsley when the Gryffindor entered in the living room a few minutes ago. Hermione gave her a side glance, and noticed that the woman had long and brown curly hair, with a snub nose which seemed to suit her well. She didn't have the opportunity to go further in her inspection, since Kingsley started his speech.

"We are here today," he began in a voice loud enough to be heard at the other head of the table, where Harry was sitting, "to talk about the new project of the Order, and, thus, the new project of the Ministry of Magic. As you may know, we recently promulgated a controversial law, which many of our citizens didn't understand in the first place," he continued, his eyes darting on Hermione. She swallowed hard, waiting for him to continue.

"But as you may suspect, we didn't do it just for one reason. Obviously, repopulating the Wizarding world is a priority for everyone at the Ministry, but this isn't the main goal of this law."

"Ah!," Molly shouted, "I was sure of it, Kingsley. Don't hear me wrong, I'm still against this law, but I was sure that it had a more laudable purpose than this," she said proudly. "But go on, go on my dear...," she added, slightly blushing, when she saw the little smile on Kingsley's face.

"Anyway," the Minister resumed, "this law has another purpose. Some of you already know it," he said, turning his attention to the woman who was next to Hermione. She nodded, and started to tap the wood of the table with her fingertips. "But it's not the case of everyone. I guess that a little chronology is necessary."

While he was finishing his sentence, the black wall behind him turned white, and he raised his wand, pointing it at the England map which had appeared on this newly white wall. The map seemed to become bigger and bigger while he was advancing his wand toward it, and suddenly, Hermione was able to distinguish some faces on the wall. Two, then three, then... A bunch of them.

"You know these people. They were the reason, between many others, why we lost so many of the people who were dear to us during the Second War," Kingsley said in a loud voice, emphasizing every word of his sentence, as if he was trying to create a tense atmosphere in the room. Hermione felt a shiver down her spine, and she tried to focus on the faces that were on the wall. Kingsley made another wave with his wand, and she was finally able to see all of them. Most of the faces were unknown to her, but she noticed that some of them seemed familiar. They were certainly people whom she had had the opportunity to see during the Battle of Hogwarts.

"Lucius Malfoy?," she heard Harry shout. "Why is he on this wall?"

Hermione squinted, and, in the corner of the map, she could see Draco's father, his long blonde hair falling like a curtain around his pale face. He wasn't smiling, obviously not pleased by the situation.

Kingsley nodded, and put his hands onto the table, bending over them.

"Exactly, Harry, Lucius Malfoy. These people are suspected of trying to bring the Ministry," he explained in a menacing voice. "These people, all of them, are suspected to plot against us."

Minerva McGonagall raised an eyebrow, visibly surprised by this news.

"Are you sure, Kingsley? I mean, obviously, these people aren't beyond reproach, but still... They made amends, if I remember right."

"Sure they did," the Minister let out with a dry laugh. "And it's one of the reasons why they've been on the Ministry's radar since then. They can't be trusted, Minerva. Look at them!," he spat, turning his attention to the wall full of photographs. "Malfoy, Mulciber Jr, Nott, Jugson, Crabbe Sr and Jr, Macnair..."

" _MACNAIR!_ ," Hagrid shouted, almost making the walls tremble. "This... This... man who tried to execute Buckbeak! I thought that I had killed him during the Battle."

"The same Macnair, yes. But he's still alive," Kingsley nodded, raising a hand to calm down Hagrid. "Please, Hagrid, sit down..."

The half-giant grumbled but eventually sat down.

"What was I saying...," Kingsley whispered. "Oh, yes. All of these former Death Eaters have something in common: as Minerva pointed it ouf, they made amends, all of them. But, unfortunately for them, since they were involved one way or another in the horrors of the War, we are keeping an eye on them. And what we've found on them is not really pretty...," he said, and with another wave of his wand, the photographs disappeared, replaced by a sort of map.

"What is it?," Bill asked, squeezing Fleur's hand on the table.

"This, my friend, is the object that denounced them. Let's see how it works..."

It seemed to be a real map, but at the same time, Hermione thought that it was a photograph too. But Kingsley put down his wand and took the map in his hands. It was a real one, made with an old and yellowed parchment. It seemed to be burned around the edges, but it wasn't burned enough to make it unusable. Kingsley took his wand in his right hand once again, and gently put it in the middle of the map, revealing its secrets.

"Alright...," he said slowly. "Just a second..."

He casted several spells on the map, and all of a sudden, the map became bigger. Kingsley hung it on the wall, and Hermione saw that it seemed to look like the Marauder's map, but in a larger version. The corridors of Hogwarts had been replaced by streets, and the rooms by houses.

"Wait a minute, Kingsley," Harry said in a low voice. "Is that..."

"No, Harry, it's not the Marauder's map. As far as I know, that one is still in your possession. But I took some time to study this, and I have to say that it works in the same way, with a few exceptions. For example, the ones who made this map obviously forgot to put a password on it. I guess that they had an excess of trust... Anyway," he continued after shaking his head, "the thing is that all of the people who were on the previous photographs appeared on this map. Like... Mmh, let's see. Yes, here," Kingsley pointed out, "we can see that Nott Sr is close to Gringotts. Don't ask me why he's there in the evening, only he knows why."

"So, basically," Hermione dared to say, "you can follow them night and day."

"Indeed," the Minister nodded. "We found this map a week after the end of the War, and since then, we've been spending a lot of time on it."

"The Marriage Law was promulgated just two or three weeks after the end of the War... Is there a link between these two events?," Hermione asked, interested by the conversation.

"Indeed, indeed. You seem to deserve your title of Brightest Witch of your age, Hermione," he said with a smile.

Hermione blushed slightly, but didn't add a word. She wanted Kingsley to answer her question first.

"But let's talk about the beginning and about what we discovered on this map... Like I said, all of these former Death Eaters appeared on this map, some of them regularly, while others sometimes disappeared. I guess that they must have been using some spells to hide from their _friends_. But what we noticed was that some of them were always together. Of course, we heard that Lucius Malfoy moved in with Mulciber three weeks after the War, following his divorce with Narcissa Black; but, can somebody here tell me why the same Malfoy spends his nights at Malfoy Manor with his ex-wife?," he said with an almost devilish smirk.

Nobody answered, and all of their eyes were turned toward the Minister of Magic.

"No one, really? Even you, Calypso?"

The woman next to Hermione cleared her throat, and eventually stood up. Slowly, with a feline walk, she went closer to Kingsley, and smiled at all the people who were around the table.

"I guess that I have to introduce myself, since I don't know anyone here. My name is Calypso Perkins, and I work with the Minister on this case. I was an Auror... Well, I still am, in a way. Let's say that I'm specializing in some cases now, and this one is a top priority. Like the Minister said, we are quite intrigued by Mr. Lucius Malfoy especially. The fact that he always comes at the Ministry at least three time a week is weird enough to make us think that there is something wrong with him. Moreover, his divorce with Narcissa Black was quite surprising, especially because he did this right after the promulgation of the Marriage Law. Why would he do that? It's a total nonsense, because he knew that he would then become a potential candidate for this law. So we think that his main reason was that he wanted to marry someone close to us, someone who could be useful to him. Someone like me," she finished.

"And that's exactly what he did," Kingsley continued, nodding in appreciation. "He is about to marry Calypso in a few weeks."

"I managed to meet him during one of his appointments at the Ministry, and well, I guess that I used the right arguments," she said with a laugh.

Hermione frowned, visibly cautious about something.

"I have some questions, if you don't mind...," she said slowly.

"Go on, I'm listening," Calypso said with a smile.

"Well, first of all: are you a relative of Eterna Perkins, the Healer?"

"Eterna is my sister," she answered, giving a side glance to Kingsley. "Why do you ask? Have you already met her?"

"Yes, I actually met her last week, during my... check-up with Severus. But it's not the only thing that I want to now. How can you be so sure that Lucius Malfoy has this kind of ideas? I mean, you're pretty, and you're young; those can be some good reasons for him to want to marry you."

"Oh, well, thank you. But why would he divorce in the first place if he still visits his ex-wife every night? And what about the fact that he always comes and goes at the Ministry? Sometimes, he comes twice a day, for the same reason. But he then manages to see two different Ministry employees; he's quite clever that way."

Hermione nodded and crossed her hands on her knees.

"Well, that makes sense. But what about the Marriage Law? How can it be related to this?"

Kingsley raised a hand, and Calypso stepped back, letting him answer this question.

"I have to say that it wasn't the cleverest idea that I've ever had. But we were out of time, and we thought that Lucius and his friends wanted to flee Great Britain. This map is the only chess move ahead that we've got, Hermione. If they went to another country, we would have nothing to spy on them. They had to stay here."

"And you didn't find anything else, seriously?," Hermione shouted. Everybody else around her kept quiet, and she was surprised to notice that she was the only one who seemed to be shocked by this revelation. "I don't know, why didn't you, for example, promulgate a law forbidding them to leave? It would have been better, don't you think?"

"Think about it for a minute, Hermione. I know that your point of view is biased because you're a target of this law, but..."

"No, it's not the point," she interrupted him, clenching her fist. "This is a reasonable question, Minister, and you know that. So why don't you want to answer?"

"Alright, I'll answer," he sighed. "Don't you think that it would have been, I don't know... a little suspicious to promulgate such a law? They would have understood that something was wrong, that we knew that there was a problem with them. That was the reason why we needed to find a cover, a law not only for them, but for as many people as possible. It was the key to success, Hermione, and some of my collaborators came with this idea. I repeat: _we were out of time_ ," he said slowly. "This repopulation stuff came in our mind, and it was the only thing that we thought about. I'm sorry to see that it affected you, Hermione, I really am. But sometimes..."

"Sometimes you have to sacrifice a few of us for the greater good, right?," Hermione said in a low voice, a sad smile on her face.

Kingsley slowly nodded, and Hermione let her gaze move from him to the map that was behind him. All of a sudden, she frowned, and rose from her chair without removing her eyes from the map.

"What is this?," she whispered, talking to herself. She approached the map, and when she was close enough to have no doubt, she turned to Kingsley, incomprehension all over her face.

"Why is Severus on this map?," she managed to say despite the ball in her throat.


	9. Chapter 8

**Becoming One**

**Chapter 8**

* * *

Her ears were buzzing. _Why was Severus on the map?_ She was repeating the same question over and over again in her head, but she hadn't found an answer yet. He was a good man, even Molly Weasley had told it on Hermione's wedding day. He truly was. Even if he was rude to her, he had been with them during all these years. Dumbledore's death had been planned, Harry had seen it in Severus' memories through the Pensieve.

Suddenly, she turned and met Harry's gaze. He seemed to be as disturbed as she was, and she saw him frowning.

"Tell them, Harry...," she said slowly, trying to keep a steady voice. It wasn't the moment to let them see how confused she was.

"Severus Snape is on this map for a reason," Kingsley snapped. "I know the whole story, Hermione, Harry doesn't have to repeat it _again._ Severus Snape, the hero, isn't it? The man who killed Albus Dumbledore by charity. Right, we all like this story for sure," he let out with a derisive laugh.

"But it's the truth!," she shouted. "I know that he did some mistakes in the past, but I know that he is as good as we all are in this room. Trust me, Minister..."

"Minerva," he interrupted Hermione without even a glance to her, "I told you that it wasn't a good idea to let her stay..."

Hermione opened her mouth, but Minerva was faster.

"Kingsley, what is the problem with Severus exactly? From what I heard from Harry Potter, he was with the Order during all this time, spying on Voldemort for us. Of course, I thought, like we all did, that he killed Albus because he wanted to, not because he had to," she said in a whisper, lowering her head a little. "But the fact is that it was Albus' choice to die this way, you can't hold it against Severus," she finished.

Kingsley made a face, visibly irritated to see that the Hogwarts' Headmistress wasn't taking his side.

"So can you explain why he was with these Death Eaters last night? Do you think that he still have an explanation to his closeness with these people?"

Everyone around the table remained silent, Hermione included. Kingsley gave her a side glance, and smiled.

"I see that even his wife doesn't have an explanation for this, I'm afraid. Tell me, Hermione," he continued, looking right in her eyes, "do you have any valuable information about your husband?"

Hermione looked at the Minister of Magic for long seconds, thinking about the answer that she was about to give him. To be honest, she didn't have anything against Severus, but she didn't have anything to defend him either.

"I have nothing to tell you about him, Minister," she finally said. Her heart was beating faster and faster, and even if she wanted to learn more about her husband, she wasn't comfortable enough to ask some questions about him. In desperation, she turned her attention to Harry, seeking for his help. As if he had understood her, he stood up, his hands firmly posed on the wooden table.

"Kingsley, as you already know, I was the one who discovered Snape's memories two months ago. He let me take them, and I used a Pensieve to see them. I have to say that, at first, I was quite disturbed by what I saw. Some memories from his past with my mother, some with Dumbledore. But all of them, _all of them_ ," he insisted, "were a proof of Snape's loyalty to Dumbledore and to my mother. I have to say that it hurts a little to admit that during all this time, I was, we were wrong. Snape was a spy, oh yes, he was. But he was our spy. He always has been."

Kingsley squinted, and Hermione nodded to Harry, happy to see that he was taking her side. She didn't know _why_ , but in the bottom of her heart, she wanted to think that Severus was a good man. It wasn't an option to think that she was married with a criminal, with... a real Death Eater.

"Tell me, Harry," Kingsley finally said, with everyone's eyes on him, waiting for an answer from the Minister, "what do you know about memories? What do you know about the Pensieve's use? I guess that you used it several times during your schooling, didn't you?"

Kingsley's voice was calm, but Hermione could distinguish a little impatience in his voice. He'd found a weakness in Harry's story, she was sure of it.

"Of course, I do, Minister," Harry answered, suddenly uncomfortable.

"Well, that's a beginning... But I want to know, Harry... Have you heard about the fact that a memory can be falsified?"

Hermione saw Calypso Perkins nod.

"Yes, I have. But..."

"But what, Harry?," Kingsley shouted. "But you want to trust the story of the man who killed Dumbledore? You want to trust the version of the man who hated you so much during so many years at Hogwarts?"

Harry stayed still, and finally sat down. Hermione shook her head, surprised to see her friend giving up so easily.

"As far as I know, Minister, you have no proof that Severus falsified his memories. Of course, we don't have the proof that he didn't, but neither can you prove that he did. You cannot accuse someone like that, and I'm sure that, as the Minister of Magic, you're quite aware of this."

She wanted to protect her husband from this injustice. And obviously, even if Minerva and Harry had tried to help her, Kingsley didn't seem to be open to discussion. He eventually sighed, knowing that it was a lost cause.

"Look, Hermione, I know that you're not on our side this time..."

"On _your_ side, that's a difference," she interrupted him, crossing her arms on her chest.

Kingsley pursed his lips. "As you wish. But this is a Ministry's matter, not an Order one. As the Minister of Magic, I have to investigate on Severus Snape's case. His sudden "resurrection" thanks to a phoenix is something that not all of us believe in, to be honest."

"What kind of investigation do you plan to conduct? Would I be involved?"

Kingsley seemed to think about it, but he eventually shook his head.

"I don't want you to be a part of it, to be honest. You aren't even supposed to know that we find his story suspicious in the first place. You have to understand that this is a secret file, and..."

"I know," she cut him off, irritated to be treated like a child. "Are you going to see me as a Death Eater now since I'm married to him?," she said ironically.

"Don't be silly, Hermione," Kingsley snapped at her. "This is not a joke, far from it. And I'm sure that you know that there are some dark shadows in Severus' story, don't lie to yourself. Since we saw Severus at Mulciber's house just last night, I'm sure that you find something suspicious. You're sleeping with him, after all, how couldn't you notice that something was wrong with him?"

Kingsley raised an eyebrow, and Hermione swallowed hard. Of course, she knew that something was wrong with Severus. She had thought that he was seeing prostitutes, but obviously it wasn't the case. Obviously, he was still seeing his old Death Eaters friends... But she knew that it wouldn't be a good idea to say it to the Minister. She then tried to change the subject.

"By the way, I was wondering how the Ministry would know that we are sleeping together. I have checked, to be honest, and there's no camera of any sort in our bedroom."

"Trust me, Hermione, we have the opportunity to know. Do you remember your binding ceremony?," he asked with a little smile on his face.

"Of course, I do, but I don't see the...," she began, before shaking her head. "Are you telling me that we weere linked to the Ministry back then without our knowledge or consent, and that you can still spy on us?"

"Exactly. That was an idea of Calypso, to be honest," he said with a proud look at the young Auror. "How else do you think that we would have known that you had consummated your union on your wedding night?"

Hermione blushed like she never did before, and didn't find the strength to answer. She was mortified to see everybody looking at her, as if they had just realized that she had had sex with her former Potions professor, with the man that none of them trusted.

"Anyway," Kingsley resumed with a wave of hand, "yes, we know what happens in your house, Hermione. And since you seem to be so surprised, I think that you and Severus didn't fulfill this law so far. I recommend that you fix this as soon as possible, before your monthly appointment with a Ministry employee...," he finished with what seemed to be a paternal smile.

Hermione lowered her eyes, her teeth clenched. This conversation was highly inappropriate, and even more when it was the Minister of Magic who was talking about it.

"Well," Kingsley eventually talked again, "do you have any more questions?"

His gaze left Hermione, and he was now looking at everyone else in the living room. None of them talked, as if they were frozen in their seat. Hermione looked at them too, and she was surprised to see that Molly seemed to avoid her gaze. Suddenly, she remembered that the Weasleys' matriarch hadn't talked during all the meeting, letting Hermione defend her husband during all this time.

_What was her problem?_

But Hermione didn't have the time to think about it, since Kingsley took back all of his documents on the wall and on the wooden table.

"I guess that this is the end of this meeting then. I was glad to hear all of your opinions," he said, quickly looking at Hermione, "and be sure that there will be other reunions like that."

"I thought that this one was the last of the Order?," Harry finally asked.

"It was supposed to be the last one, indeed. But I think that all of you have to be aware of some of the Ministry's work. I know that you expect a lot from me as the Minister of Magic, and I don't want to disappoint you."

Hermione let out a sight, and went toward her chair to grab her bag. She put it on her shoulder, and looked at Kingsley before heading to the door.

"Too late, Minister," she said in a slow voice. With a nod to all of the Order members who were still sitting at the table, she turned around and left 12, Grimmauld Place, her head full of information.

**XxX**

"It's quite late..."

Severus' voice came from the living room, and Hermione locked the door behind her. She let out a sight and quickly closed her eyes. The last thing that she wanted was to confront him with the information that Kingsley gave them not so long ago. She didn't even know what to think about it to be honest, and it would have been a big mistake to have this discussion with Severus. He was concerned with all of it, but she couldn't speak to him, not now, not never. " _You swore, Hermione_ ", she said to herself before heading to the living room.

Her husband was there, a glass of wine in his left hand, and a book on his knees. The room was just lit up with a little lamp next to Severus, and Hermione wondered how he could read with a light so weak.

"Hello to you, too," Hermione said to him, with some irony in her voice.

Severus raised an eyebrow, but didn't talk back. He just kept his eyes fixed on her, and suddenly embarrassed to be stared at like this, she dropped her bag at her feet and went to the kitchen.

"I'm starving," she explained with a glance at Severus, but the latter didn't move.

"I didn't wait for you to dinner," he drawled, returning his attention to his book.

"It's okay."

Yes, it was okay. She was almost relieved to know that he had eaten already. That way, she didn't have to put up with eating with him and therefore, having to talk about her meeting. Because she knew that Severus would ask her about what she had done today if they ate together.

She grabbed a plate and put a piece of hot meat on it, with some vegetables that Gretchen had cooked in the evening. She ate in silence in the kitchen, just disturbed by the noise of the pages that Severus was turning from time to time in the living room. Eventually, she rose from her chair, and, after drinking a glass of water, she put her plate on the sink and returned on the living room. It was almost ten in the evening, and she didn't know what to do; stay in the living room with Severus or lock herself on her bedroom?

_Her bedroom_... Hermione sighed, remembering her conversation with Kingsley Shacklebolt. She was lost on her own thoughts when Severus' voice came to her ears.

"What are you thinking about?," he asked in a low voice.

Hermione jumped when she heard his voice, and eventually sat in the armchair next to Severus' one. She put her hands on her knees, spending long minutes looking at them. Severus was obviously waiting for her to answer his question, and she knew that she just had some seconds before he would become impatient. She finally managed to look up, and met his dark gaze.

"I learned some things today...," she began, wringing her own hands. "Things that I think you should know."

Severus didn't move or talk, and Hermione understood that he was waiting for something more. He wanted her to explain what she had just said.

"It's about the Marriage Law," Hermione resumed in a whisper.

"What about it?," Severus merely asked, his eyes still on her. Hermione felt a shiver down her spine, as she was worried to talk about it.

"I had a conversation with... a Ministry employee..."

"Why didn't you tell me? I would have come with you!," Severus spat, bending over to come closer to his wife.

"It wasn't supposed to happen," Hermione said quickly, frowning. "Anyway, I was able to ask him a few questions about this Law and what it implies."

" _Him_?," Severus noticed.

"Yes, he's a friend of Arthur, actually," Hermione lied with ease. She didn't think that he would ask her further about this "Ministry employee", but it was Severus Snape, after all. Severus nodded slowly, as if he was satisfied with her answer.

"Go on," he finally said.

"So yes, I was able to ask him some questions about the Marriage Law. Especially the "you would have to sleep together" part. I think that it's something important to you too," she said with a shy smile.

"Sure it is." Severus' voice was soft, and it helped her to relax slightly.

"I've got bad news about it. It seems that we were "bound" to each other during our marriage ceremony, but it's not the only thing that happened that day. Unfortunately, we were also bound to... another thing."

"The Ministry," Severus ended slowly.

"How do you know?," Hermione asked, suspicious. "Why didn't you tell me?"

"I didn't know," Severus said with a wave of hand. "I swear, I didn't, Hermione," he repeated when he saw that she was still frowning. "It's just that it seems obvious when you consider it, don't you think?"

She nodded. Sure, it was obvious, and she was cursing herself for not having thought about it before. Indeed, the main purpose of this law, or at least what the Ministry had told about it to every wizard and witch, was to repopulate the England Wizarding World. Of course, it was just a lure, but it was what everybody believed.

"And what more did your little friend teach you?"

"Not a lot more, actually. I just know that they are looking at us, every day, every night. Especially _every night_...," Hermione articulated slowly, giving him time to think about what she was saying.

"What do you mean?" Severus uttered.

"I mean... You know what I mean," Hermione said, blushing.

"Don't be silly," he snarled. "Go straight to the point, please."

"I mean," Hermione resumed, her cheeks red, "that we have to sleep together _again_. I don't know how often, but it's the main goal of this Law after all: to conceive children. So yes, I guess that our first time after our wedding wasn't enough for the Ministry."

"And what would they do to us if we don't? It's one thing to know that we don't sleep together, it's another to punish us for that."

Severus seemed to be angry at the Ministry at this exact time, and Hermione couldn't hold it against him, since she was as angry as he was, angrier even.

"The Ministry's employee was quite insistent about it. He didn't say it clearly, but it appears that we could face charges from the Ministry if they learn, during our monthly meeting, that we aren't sleeping together."

Suddenly, Severus rose from his armchair, letting his book drop on the floor. Hermione jumped for the second time of the evening, surprised to see him reacting in such a way.

"Who do they think they are?," he spat as he started pacing the room. Hermione was looking at him, worried to see how far he could go. "Do they expect to control our lives, _my life_ like they do with Guinea pigs? Really, do they?," he repeated, his dark gaze fixed on her, but Hermione knew that it was more a rhetorical question than a real one.

"I thought that this Ministry would be better than the previous one, I really did," he continued, in a softer voice this time, "but I guess that he was right..."

Hermione frowned. "Who was right?," she heard herself ask.

Severus stopped, his hands on his back and pursed his lips. "No one, I was talking to myself. Forget it."

But Hermione couldn't forget it. Who was right? Lucius Malfoy maybe? Every moment of her discussion with Kingsley came to her mind, and she was trying to use what she had heard to understand what Severus had just said.

"Anyway," Severus said, interrupting her thoughts, "did he say something about... our sexual encounters' frequency?," he finished in a whisper, finally avoiding Hermione's gaze.

"No, he didn't. But he said that it was important to "fix" this mistake before our first monthly appointment."

She saw him nod, and he eventually began to calm down. A minute or two of silence passed between them, and Severus finally gave her his hand. Hermione looked up at him, a silent question in the bottom of her eyes.

"What are you waiting for, Hermione?"

"I don't know, I'm just... What do you want to do?," she said in a low voice.

"It's not about what I want to do. It's all about what we need to do. Both of us."

She swallowed hard, realizing what he wanted them to do.

Her first time with him hadn't been that bad, actually. It was a fact that she hadn't reached her orgasm, but after all, she didn't think that it was a priority for a first time. Severus had been nice to her, trying to spare her all the unnecessary pain, and it had been a success. She had almost taken what had seemed to be... pleasure. Not during a long time, but it had been long enough for her to enjoy it.

"Now?," she managed to ask, trying to forget about the embarrassment she was feeling.

"Our first appointment is in less than two weeks if I remember well... I don't think that it's a good idea to wait any further. Moreover, it's quite late already," he finished, while giving a quick glance at the clock.

"You seem to give up easily..."

"What else can I do, tell me?," Severus snapped back. "Do you want me to go to Kingsley's office, make a scandal and finish my old years in Azkaban? Trust me, this is an option that I'm trying to avoid."

He was right, of course. She had seen how paranoid Kingsley was. Oh, she didn't think that Lucius Malfoy and his friends were saints, far from it, but she wanted to trust Severus. She wanted to trust her husband. Their eyes met, and eventually, Hermione rose from her armchair and put her hand in his.

In silence, they went to their bedroom, and Severus closed the door behind them. Hermione swallowed hard, and let go of his hand.

"Just a minute...," she whispered, heading to the bathroom door. She closed the door and leaned back against the cold wooden door, her eyes closed. She was hearing Severus getting rid of his clothes, and it was hard for her to calm down. Suddenly, she removed her deep blue cardigan, and touched her right arm. It was late in the evening, so she knew that her glamor charm wasn't effective anymore. Indeed, her left fingers met the dark bruises on her arm. Hermione sighed, and after taking her wand in her pocket, she casted a glamor spell. A second later, the bruises were gone.

"Not for a long time...," she murmured before going to the sink in order to cool down her face.

"It's not your first time, Hermione, _relax_ ," she talked to herself before leaving the bathroom. Severus was in their bed already, with just a shirt and a pair of pajamas trousers on.

"Where is your robe?," Hermione asked. She wasn't used to see him in trousers, but she had to admit that it suited him well.

"I'm not used sleeping in robe, as you would have known it if we were sleeping together," he drawled.

"You were the one who didn't want to, should I remind you of that?"

"I guess not," was his only answer.

Hermione took a step toward their bed and eventually went around the bed, giving her back to Severus. Even if she wasn't able to see his face, she knew that he was looking at her. With a sigh, she dropped her dress at her feet, and quickly jumped in the bed, trying to avoid Severus' gaze as much as possible.

"So, where do we begin?," she managed to say in a shaking voice.

"Don't you remember?," Severus answered, with what seemed to be a laugh in his voice.

"Of course, I do, but..."

"Let me show you...," he whispered, before taking her head in his hands and kissing her slowly and sensually. Hermione closed her eyes and put her hand on Severus' arm. It was the first time that they kissed. Of course, they did it on their wedding ceremony, but it was not the same at all. That kiss had been quick since it had been a duty for both of them. But now... At the bottom of her heart, Hermione knew that it was a duty too, but, there was also something more; something stronger, something better than the first time that they had kissed.

Slowly, Severus' tongue passed the barrier of her lips, and she opened her mouth a little, just enough to let him caress her tongue with his. It was somewhat weird, and after some minutes, Severus' hands were all over her hips, gently stroking them.

But all of the sudden, her husband removed his lips from hers and shook his head.

"I don't know why I did this, I'm sorry, Hermione..."

"Don't be," she cut him off. "Actually, it helped me to relax, so..."

She was smiling at him, amused to see that he was embarrassed by what they've just shared. They had already had sex together, but it hadn't been that... sexy and pure. Sharing a kiss was so much more intimate, and Hermione realized that it was something that she wanted to do over and over again. Quickly, she put her arms behind his neck, forcing him to bend over her. Their lips met once again, and this time, Severus let out a groan. His body was on hers, and Hermione could feel his erection close to her womanhood. Severus let his hand slid under her panties, and Hermione moaned against his mouth. It was weird to feel two different things on her body. On the upper half of her body, Severus was biting her lips with fervor while his hand on her clitoris was soft and slow.

Eventually, they were both naked, moaning in pleasure close to each other's mouth. Hermione had been terrified to live this experience again, but now, she was wondering what had terrified her so much. What she was sharing with her husband was so exciting, so pleasurable.

"I have to do this, once again...," Severus whispered, releasing her lips.

"You have to, really?," Hermione said, a little smile on her lips.

"Maybe I also want to...," he admitted in a low voice when he pushed himself into her.

Hermione felt a little pain when he slid into her, but it was nothing compared to her first time. She relaxed her body easily this time, and after a few back and forth, she was moaning with pleasure. Severus was still kissing her and she enclosed his hips with her legs. She wanted him to go further, and Severus seemed to notice that.

"You want more, don't you?," he managed to say in a breath.

"Please...," Hermione whimpered.

"Your wish is my command for tonight..."

With that said, Severus pushed his hard length further into Hermione, and she opened her mouth, trying to catch her breath like she could. But it was hard to do so with her husband between her legs, going back and forth into her wet entrance, like he had been doing this during all his life.

Hermione didn't hold back her orgasm for a long time. Eventually, Severus felt her inner walls clenching around his cock, and it was the only sign that he needed to let his seed flowing into her sensitive core. It took him one or two pushes to fill his wife with his fluid, and he did it with a long moan. His wife was exquisite.

They stayed in this position during long minutes, but Hermione finally complained.

"You're crushing me...," she said in a laugh.

"I'm sorry," Severus said while falling on the side. He didn't know what exactly happened. He hadn't wanted to kiss her in the first place, but it had been... natural. Natural enough to want to do it again and again.

_What is wrong with you, Severus ?_ , he thought, frowning. Maybe Lucius was right after all. It could be a good idea to take the best out of her, out of his wife. At first, he had been quite reluctant to do so, but when his lips had been crushed on hers, he had forgotten every doubt that had been on his mind.

She was beautiful, she truly was. Beautiful enough to have made him lose his common sense. He had been quite surprised to see her so receptive to his kisses. They weren't as close as a wife and a husband should be, but at least, Severus was relieved to see that their sexual encounters weren't that bad.

A side glance taught him that Hermione was falling asleep, and it was with a smile on his face that he did the same.


	10. Chapter 9

**Becoming One**

**Chapter 9**

* * *

When she woke up, Hermione was surprised to see that Severus was still sleeping next to her. Without even thinking about it, she pulled back the sheets onto her naked breasts and returned her attention to the ceiling.

She had made love with Severus Snape, _again_ , and the worst part was that she had enjoyed it. She truly had, and it scared her. How on Earth something like that had happened? When she had been younger, she always had thought that he was an old man, old enough not to have any lustful teenager crush on him. Obviously, he was not that old, but still...

Oddly enough, Hermione never had thought before that she could have been in a relationship with someone that much older than her, especially not one of her former teachers. To be honest, the only love interests that she had had in her early years had been Ron and Viktor Krum. Krum had been different though, since he had just filled in for some weeks for the lack of interest of her friends toward her. Krum was older, but it wasn't the same: she hadn't shared anything more than a dance back then.

Ron, on the other hand, had had an important place in her life. Their friendship hadn't begun on the right foot, but eventually, they had grown closer with time. But sometimes, she was wondering why she had thought that something could have occurred between them: they were so different. Ron was still a young man, terrified by his feelings, while Hermione was aware of them and wanted to understand hers better in order to move forward. Sure, she had been terrified too when she had realized that Ron meant something to her, that she cared about him. But she was ready to face this reality. Obviously, Ron hadn't been.

A moment later, she felt Severus move against her arm, and she turned her head to him, meeting his dark gaze. He truly had the darkest eyes that she had ever seen. There was almost no difference between his pupil and his iris.

"Hello," she said in a sleepy voice.

"Hello to you," Severus replied, blinking slowly in order to get use to the rays of sun that were shinning in the bedroom. "It's odd to wake up in this bed...," he managed to utter in his usual baritone voice.

"It's weirder to wake up with another person in the same bed, if you want my opinion," she countered with a laugh in her voice.

"You've got a point here," he conceded. "Do you have things to do today?"

"I don't think so. You?"

Severus shook his head before gazing at her body, but noticed that it was hidden by the sheets. He sighed and eventually got up from their bed.

"Where are you going then?," Hermione asked.

"Why this question? Did you plan to spend your whole day in this bed with me, cuddling like two teenagers?," he laughed at her.

Hermione felt her cheeks blush, and it was through clenched teeth that she answered.

"Not at all," she whispered, offended by his assertion.

"Good then," Severus drawled before heading to the bathroom.

_What a nice way to begin a day_ , Hermione thought, while letting out a sigh.

**XxX**

The next seven days passed in a blur for Hermione. Severus seemed to become nicer with each passing day, and his statement of the other morning had been forgotten after a couple of days. Nevertheless, Hermione was always on the defensive. Even if Severus was most of the time nice to her, it was hard for her to forget how mean to her he could be sometimes.

He was more and more thoughful toward her though, as if he was trying to behave like a husband should behave. He was brewing her contraceptive potions, urging her to drink them and only them every week. He had tried to make them undetectable to every spell that he knew, and he was sure that these potions were effective against an undesired pregnancy. Hermione had put them in a bag, and locked them with her own potions that she'd used to brew back at Hogwarts. She was thinking about asking her husband if there was any possibility for him to let her use his laboratory from time to time. Since she was about to begin her apprenticeship as a Healer, she wanted to be ready for it, and brewing potions was obviously an important part of her upcoming formation.

But at the same time, Severus seemed to see his laboratory like his territory, the only place where he could retire when things weren't easy between them. That was why she was still reluctant to ask him.

With a sigh, Hermione took one of the contraceptive potions from her bag, and noticed that its color was a little paler than usual. But a quick glance at the other phials taught her that it was normal, so she drank it with a face. The color might not be the same, but the taste was still horrid like every contraceptive potion, unfortunately.

That was the moment that Severus chose to enter in their bedroom that they were now used to share, closing the door behind him.

"Tomorrow is a big day," he said slowly.

"I can't wait," Hermione said ironically.

Tomorrow, they were supposed to have their first monthly appointment with Eterna Perkins.

**XxX**

"She is supposed to arrive in less than ten minutes."

"I know."

"Do you remember everything?"

"Of course, I do. Don't worry about it, Severus... And please, trust me," she sighed, nervously taping on her armchair.

They had spent many hours in the last few days talking about their behavior toward the Ministry employee. Many hours during which they had argued, Hermione thinking that it would have been a good idea to be honest about every point since they hadn't done anything against the law. But Severus wanted everything to be perfect, so he had thought about a better story about their relationship and their everyday life.

"Do you remember how annoying and noisy this Eterna Perkins had been during our check-up?," he had spat, his dark gaze darting on her while she was writing a letter to Harry.

"She wasn't annoying or noisy," she had uttered in a low voice, without raising her eyes from her parchment. "She was just doing her job, and you know that as much as I do."

"You weren't in this room with her...," he had begun, putting his large hands on her desk.

"No, I wasn't," Hermione had interrupted him, finally looking up to meet his dark gaze, "but you weren't with me either, so... I guess that we went through the same examination. Now, if you don't mind...," she had finished, pointing the half-written parchment with her hand.

She had been surprised to notice that this monthly appointment seemed to have a bigger impact on Severus than on her. He seemed to be truly affected by this meeting with the Ministry employee, and even more since they had received this letter informing them that the Ministry employee appointed to their case was Eterna Perkins, Calypso's sister.

Of course, Hermione was the only one between them both to know that Eterna had a sister, and that she was close to Kingsley on top of that.

Suddenly, a knock at the door took her away from her thoughts, and Severus went to the door, his face's expression cold as ice. Hermione rose from her armchair as well and bit her lower lip anxiously. Severus had told her earlier that it would have been a good idea to open the door together, but Hermione had thought that it was a stupid idea.

"Please, Severus, we're not children anymore," she had said under his dark look.

She heard the door flung open, and for a second, she regretted not being next to him to welcome their guest.

"Good morning, Ms. Perkins...," she heard Severus trail of. "Please, come in."

His voice was cold as ice, and Hermione rolled her eyes. He was the same Severus that she had first met eight years ago. She put a smile on her face when Eterna Perkins entered the living room.

"What a charming place you have!," she declared, advancing toward Hermione in order to shake her hand. "Ms. Snape, it's a pleasure to see you again."

"It's a pleasure for me too," Hermione answered, without abandoning her bright smile.

"Can I offer you a cup of tea, Ms. Perkins?," Severus suddenly asked, taking both women by surprise.

"Oh, sure. Thank you," she nodded, and eventually sat in the third armchair that was in the room when Hermione invited her to do so.

"I didn't know that you were the Ministry employee appointed to our case to be honest," Hermione began. "We only learned of it two days ago."

"And I hope that it was a good surprise," Eterna grinned, pushing away her long brown hair on her back.

"A delightful surprise, indeed...," Severus drawled with a smirk on his face, coming back from the kitchen with a tray, and three cups of tea on it.

Hermione swallowed hard. Severus had said that this meeting must go perfectly, and here he was, acting like he didn't care. She gently took a cup of tea from the tray, which he had put on the coffee table, and Eterna did the same.

"Well, it seems that you two have been living together since quite a long time."

"What makes you say that?" Severus frowned.

"These curtains," she explained, pointed at them with her cup of tea. "Only a woman could have chosen them. Right, Hermione?"

Hermione nodded, satisfied to notice that Eterna had dropped the "Ms Snape" thing. She remembered about asking the Healer to do so during her medical check-up, and that Eterna had been happy to oblige.

Eterna swiftly took a notebook from her bag, which she had put at her feet, and opened it with her left hand.

"Alright. Since I'm the Ministry employee appointed to your case, I've got a few questions to ask you two, if you don't mind..."

"Do we have a choice?" Severus cut her off. Hermione darted a warnin gaze on her husband, urging him to stop this nonsense right now. But she had forgotten that it was Severus Snape next to her, not Ron or Harry. He looked back at her, an eyebrow raised, before turning his attention on the Healer once again.

"Well?," he resumed, taking the precaution to fake a smile this time.

"I'm afraid that we don't have the choice, Mr. Snape," Eterna explained, a soft expression on her face. "Let's begin then. You just have to answer with yes or no for the first question, you don't need to explain further. Well, you can if you want," she added, "but it's not compulsory. You'll see it yourselves when a more complex answer is expected."

"We'll do our best," Hermione agreed, surrounding her cup of tea with both of her hands.

"Are you living together?," Eterna began.

"As you can see, yes," Hermione answered, not waiting for Severus' sign to do so.

"Do you share the same bed?"

"Sure, we do," she answered again, not paying attention to Severus who was moving in his armchair, frustrated not to talk.

"Would you say that your relationship work, even if you were forced to be together in the first place?"

"We chose to be together willingly, Ms Perkins, it wasn't the choice of the Ministry," Severus finally explained, putting his cup of tea back on the table. Hermione noticed that he had not even drunk a drop of the hot liquid. "Don't you have this information in your files?" he added with a smirk.

"Sure, we have it, Mr. Snape," she answered with a smile, "but I don't think that you would have agreed on a marriage so quickly if the Ministry hadn't forced you to do so."

Severus clenched his jaw, slightly irritated, but eventually seemed to relax a little.

"Yes."

"Yes?" Eterna repeated.

"Our relation works. Isn't that what you wanted to know?"

"Yes, it is," she confirmed, writing some things on her notebook.

Hermione bit her lower lip, disturbed by the tense atmosphere that reigned in the living room. She wanted this meeting to go well, well enough not to receive an owl from the Ministry urging them to fix things in their relationship. They didn't need that, not now that things seemed to be a little better than in the beginning.

"What else do you need to know?" Hermione eventually asked when Eterna put down her pen.

"Do you have frequent sexual intercourse?," she asked, not seeming to be embarrassed by her own question. It was her job, after all.

"We can say it like that..." Severus trailed off, with an evasive wave of his hand.

"Protected ones?," Eterna insisted.

"No, we don't use protection of any sort," Hermione explained quickly.

"We'll have to make sure of it with a spell at the end of this discussion, Hermione, so I'm going to ask it again: do you protect yourself from a pregnancy?"

The Healer's voice was soft as usual, and Hermione recognized that Eterna was the opposite of her sister, Calypso. Eterna was a caring woman, maternal even, while Calyspo was colder toward people, with something disdainful in the way she moved, the way she talked. Both of them were beautiful, and for a second, Hermione wondered if they weren't twins; but they looked too different to her eyes.

Hermione felt the dark gaze of Severus on her, and it was with confidence that she shook her head.

"No, I don't."

Eterna nodded, and wrote down a few sentences.

"Well, now, let's talk about your future. Where do you see each other in... five years, for example?"

Hermione turned to meet Severus' eyes, and she saw him smile.

"Since we have to submit ourselves to that law, I guess that surrounded by two or three children is a good answer...," he said with irony, looking right into Eterna's eyes. The brunette looked straight at him and let out a laugh.

"Don't play this game with me, Mr. Snape. In all honesty, what do you think your future with Ms. Snape look like?"

Severus put his elbow onto the arm of his chair and supported his chin with his hand. Hermione was looking at both of them intermittently, wondering what would be her husband's answer. Eventually, he let out a sigh.

"In all honesty? I think that Ms. Snape and myself have quite a long road ahead," he began, gazing at his wife. "We need to understand each other first, and then, _maybe_ we'll have a child together. However, I don't expect more than one offspring. I think that it's quite a challenge already to have one of these little... things," he finished, pulling a face, while Hermione was blushing.

"You know that you have to conceive at least one child during the two first years of your marriage, don't you?," Eterna asked, frowning. "It's not a possibility for the Ministry, it's a fact. You are married together because you need to have an offspring in the next two years. I really mean it, Mr. and Mrs Snape," she continued, looking at them both. "I know that it isn't something nice to hear when you're young," she said to Hermione, "but that's the way it is. I don't agree with this Law, if you want to know everything, but my opinion in unimportant here..."

"So are ours...," Severus interrupted her in a low voice.

"So are yours," Eterna nodded. "But it's not because we don't agree that we can overstep the Ministry's authority."

A heavy silence settled in the living room, and Severus was trying to repress the desire to serve himself a glass of firewhiskey. But it surely wasn't the good moment to do so. Hermione stared down at the almost cold cup of tea that was on her knees.

"What would happen if we don't succeed?," she heard Severus ask.

"It's a good question, but unfortunately, I don't know. I guess that the Ministry can find a way to force you to do so or to punish both of you if they realize that you're purposefully sabotaging your chances to get pregnant, but really, I don't know. These are just suspicions. I just heard about a couple who had been separated by the Ministry because the woman couldn't have any child. But both of you are perfectly able to do so, then you don't have to worry about it," she explained. "Do you have any questions?"

Hermione shook her head in sign of negation while looking up at the Healer.

"Alright then," Eterna said before raising from her armchair. "Hermione, please, could you just raise your t-shirt a bit? I just need to see a bit of flesh. It will not hurt, don't worry."

The former Gryffindor took a deep breath and went next to the Healer. For a reason unknown to her, she had a bad feeling about this contraceptive potion. Of course, she had taken the potion that Severus had given her a week ago, but its color had been different than usual. And what if she hadn't taken the _good potion_ , after all? She heard Severus mumbled next to her, and she closed her eyes when she felt the coolness of Eterna's wand on her belly.

"Hermione?"

The latter opened her eyes and saw Eterna frowning. It wasn't a good sign, she knew it before the Healer said anything.

"Yes, Ms. Perkins?," she said in a breath.

"You took a contraceptive potion. I can see it," she explained, looking truly disappointed.

Hermione swallowed hard, and looked down, her gaze falling on the red color emaning from her skin. "I didn't... I mean...," she tried to clarify.

"Did you take it?," Eterna asked softly.

"I think so," Hermione admitted in a little voice.

" _What?_ " Severus rose from his armchair, eyes wide open. "You were supposed to..."

"I know!," Hermione shouted at him. "I'm sorry, I didn't think that..." she whispered.

Eterna Perkins shook her head, but eventually sighed. "Well, Hermione, it's okay for this time, but I want to have another meeting with you, in two weeks, alone. You have to understand that another employee would have alerted the Minister right away, but I'm giving you another chance," she said, looking at Severus as well. "Don't get me wrong: I'm on your side here," she added, putting a caring hand on the young woman's shoulder, "but I can't let it pass without a warning; I guess that you understand."

"Sure, I do," Hermione nodded. "Thank you."

With a smile, Eterna grabbed her bag and put her notebook in it. "Well, except this little... incident, this meeting wasn't as horrid as I thought it would be," she said, looking at Severus. "You'll receive another owl for our next monthly appointment, and," she added to Hermione's attention, "another one for our private session, Hermione."

"Let me see you to the door," Severus said in a low voice without a glance at his wife. Hermione said goodbye to the Healer and sat down in her armchair once she was alone. Severus didn't seem to be happy, she thought, taking her head between her hands. When she heard him closing the door, she bit her lower lip, wondering what would be his reaction.

"What was it? This potion is supposed to be undetectable, I made sure of it a billion times, if not more," he said icily when he was finally returned in the living room, facing her.

"I don't know," Hermione lied, not being able to look up at him.

"Look at me, Hermione."

"I don't know!," she said again, looking up at him this time. "I think that I messed up with the contraceptive potion that you gave me last week. Maybe that I made a mistake and took one of mine instead of one of yours, _I don't know!_ ," she repeated.

"Silly girl!," Severus roared. "How stupid can you be, really? It's not that hard to pay attention to what you drink, isn't it?," he spat. "And since when do you have your own contraceptive potions by the way?"

"It's not something new, I used to brew mine at Hogwarts, for your information," she explained slowly.

"But you were...," he trailed off, looking confused for the first time of the day.

"A virgin?," she completed his sentence. "Yes, I was, but this potion is not only used for a contraceptive purpose, I thought that you knew it."

"Of course, I know," he barked. "Don't do this mistake again."

With that said, he turned his back and aimed for his laboratory without another word for her. But Hermione noticed with amusement that Severus hadn't used his perfect story about their relationship.

**XxX**

"How do you find this place, Calypso?,"

"It's nice," the Auror said with a glance at Lucius Malfoy. The latter was pacing all over the living room, looking at every thing around him, a smile on his face. Things were exactly how he wanted them to be: close to perfection. He was supposed to marry this amazing brunette in less than two days, and he couldn't wait any longer.

It was obvious that Narcissa hadn't been that ecstatic about his future marriage; but she knew that it was for the best. Fortunately enough, Narcissa wasn't supposed to marry someone herself, since she was a little bit older than forty-five year-old. Lucius wouldn't have accepted to see her on the arm of someone else, walking to the altar. It was something to have to do it himself; it was another thing to see the love of his life doing the same.

"Make yourself at home...," he drawled while putting his walking stick in the corner of the room.

Calypso nodded, but her eyes were going through the living room, examining every furniture, every object, every trinket even, like Lucius did some minutes prior, but obviously not for the same reasons.

"Can I help you?," Lucius' icy voice raised on her back.

"No, it's fine." She smiled at him, desperately trying to turn his attention on something else. "Do you have everything ready for Wednesday?," she tried.

"Don't worry about that. Everything is under control."

"I'm sure that you took care of everything," she said in a seductive voice. "What about the guests? Do you plan to invite some of your friends?"

Lucius squinted, but eventually smiled back at her.

"Draco will be present, I guess. And I was thinking about a best man actually, but I have to ask him first. I don't know if his wife will be there too."

"Oh...," she let out, visibly disappointed.

" _Oh?_ ," Lucius echoed her.

"It's just... It's silly, never mind," she uttered with an embarrassed laugh.

"Go on, Calypso. What did you want to say?"

"I just thought... There's this gossip in town, I don't know if I should believe it or not."

Lucius raised a surprised eyebrow. What was she talking about? It was obvious that people were talking about him, since he was a former Death Eater after all. Many of them were thinking that he was the reason for their losses, and were talking ill about him, naturally. Obviously, even though Lucius had done not so glorious things in the past, he had done them for his family, mostly. Of course, he had been drawn to the Dark Lord, he had been willing to please him in many ways, but it had been nothing compared to his devotion to Narcissa and Draco. Both of them had been and still were his reason to fight during all this time. But at the end of the day, someone had to be the scapegoat for everything.

"Well," Calypso continued when she realized that Lucius was too deep in his thoughts to say something, "I thought that you were still close with your ex-wife."

Lucius froze in front of his soon-to-be wife, and almost forgot to breathe for one second. It was enough for Calypso to see that she had struck a nerve. _Good_ , she thought.

"What make you say that?," Lucius said in an unctuous voice.

"Oh you know, people talk in the Ministry," she explained. "But I'm sure that it's just gossip, nothing too serious. Am I wrong?," she eventually asked in a candid voice, staring at him.

"You're not wrong," Lucius answered swiftly, his lips pursed. "I don't see Narcissa anymore, except when I have to do it in order to see our son. And I don't think that it's a crime; do you?"

"Of course not. It's just that I don't want to share you with somebody else...," she whispered in order to distract him from their discussion, reducing the distance between them. She held him by the collar of his robe and gave him a sensual kiss on the lips. Lucius didn't move and just closed his eyes when he felt Calypso's mouth entering in contact with his. It wasn't like with Narcissa, but Lucius thought that he could have done worse than Calypso Perkins. She was highly attractive, with her hazel eyes, which were turning green with the light, and her fit body. She didn't take long to kiss him after their first meeting at the Ministry and Lucius was pleased so far to notice that she was attracted to him the same way that he was to her, maybe even more.

How could he resist to such a beauty? He had always been faithful to Narcissa, but his own words, the words that he had said to Severus Snape a month earlier, came back to haunt him: " _try to enjoy this time with her, one way or another_ ". He was supposed to shag her in order to validate their marriage anyway, so what was the difference between today or two days later?

Without thinking twice, he took her in his arms and pushed her back against the closest wall, making her moan.

"Don't you want to wait for our marriage?," Calypso whispered against his lips.

"I'm too old for this kind of things...," he murmured before kissing her with fervor.

**XxX**

"Are you okay?," Severus asked in a concerned voice when Hermione entered their bedroom, after having refreshed her face in the bathroom.

"Sure. I've just got a headache, but it will be fine."

Severus nodded and returned his attention to his book, waiting for her to slip between the sheets. They hadn't talked further after their meeting with Eterna Perkins in the morning. Severus had been furious with her, furious to see that she hadn't listened to him, especially when it came to something that important. Eventually, he had calmed down, thinking that he couldn't hold something so silly against her. It had been a mistake and she had recognized it; that was the most important.

"I can turn off the lights if you prefer," he proposed in a low voice when she was next to him.

"No, it's okay, it doesn't disturb me," she smiled, turning her back to him in order to avoid the light. Severus understood that she wanted to have some quiet moment, and he turned off the lights even if she had said that it didn't matter.

A heavy silence fell between them, but Hermione coudn't close her eyes. She was waiting for him to say something, at least. She hadn't seen him during all day, since he had been confine in his laboratory, calling Gretchen when he had needed something. She knew that she had made a mistake, but he couldn't hold it against her forever.

Suddenly, she heard his voice raising from the other side of the bed.

"I am sorry."

These three words, almost murmured, were enough for her; but Severus didn't stop there.

"I'm truly sorry, Hermione," he repeated, louder this time. "I should have defended you against Ms. Perkins, and I failed to do so. I regret what happened this morning."

Hermione turned in order to face him and meet his eyes, then nodded. "Thank you."

Severus gave her a little smile, but didn't say anything more. Hermione repressed a smile and turned her back again, trying to sleep this time. But she just had just been trying to fall asleep for a few minutes, when she felt Severus' hands on her shoulder, then on her back.

"What are you...?," she began, but didn't have the time to finish her sentence. Severus' lips were on hers, gently kissing her mouth.

"I know the perfect remedy for your headache," he whispered, aroused by the fact that she was just wearing her panties with a shirt.

Like every first moments of intimacy with her husband, Hermione felt a certain reluctance to go further, but this feeling quickly disappeared when she noticed how hard he already was, close to her leg.

It was her who deepened their kiss, taking his head into her hands and standing up over him.

"What are you doing, witch?," he whispered, putting his hands onto her hips, gently stroking the piece of skin underneath her black panties.

"What you want me to do," she murmured close to his mouth, bending over to kiss him again.

It was surprising to notice how liberated Hermione had been these last few days when it came to sexual intercourse with Severus. Even herself was astonished to notice this sudden change of behavior. It was even more surprising when she was thinking about what she had learned about her husband a few days before. Kingsley's words were on repeat in her head, every day and every night. But all of this was forgotten when she was in his arms, oddly enough. He surely wasn't the most handsome man on Earth, but he was here, with her. They had been married for a month now, and everything was right when she was in his arms, especially after his apology.

And right now, he was giving her the most pleasurable caresses that she had ever had. It was the first time that she was on top, but it seemed to be natural for both of them. Severus' hands were all over her body, while he bent his head a little after removing Hermione's shirt in order to suck her nipples.

" _Oh_...," she let out, eyes closed in order to focus on what her husband was doing with her body.

"I want to take you now... I can't wait to see how wet you are for me...," Severus growled against her soft skin.

His voice was highly exciting, and she felt herself getting wetter at his words. Damn, who would have thought that she would be that aroused by Severus Snape's voice one day?

Hermione didn't answer, but didn't complain either when Severus pushed her panties aside; he didn't even take the time to remove them. A second later, he was sliding his already hard length into her dripping core, making her moan.

"Severus...," she whispered, her eyes still closed, as if she was trying to feel every movement of her husband into her. But unfortunately for her, he wasn't moving at all. She opened her eyes and was surprised to see a grin on his face.

"What are you doing?," she let out in a breath.

"What do you want me to do?," he asked back in a low voice, caressing her back with his fingertips. He saw Hermione bite her lower lip, and he had to control himself not to push further into her welcoming and thigh entrance.

"Tell me, witch...," he insisted, squeezing her hips a little.

"I want you to move...," she managed to say while putting her hands on Severus' chest.

"Why don't you move by yourself then?"

She gazed at him for long seconds, wondering what to do. Eventually, she raised herself from Severus' body, taking support on her knees to do so, and slowly impaled herself back onto his thick length, making them both moan at the same time.

"Damn witch, go faster..."

Hermione did as he said; she had never felt that full, ever. Severus' cock was stoking her inner walls with such experience that she thought that she was on the edge of a precipice. Her thrusts were frantic now, and Severus grabbed her hips in order to piston through her with all that he had.

"Oh, Severus, harder...," Hermione heard herself say, her head falling backward.

He was quite happy to obey, and it was with a groan that he spewed one, two, three long jolts of seed into her sensitive core, at the exact time when Hermione fell on Severus' chest and reached her orgasm, her mouth wide open, looking for air.

A few minutes later, they were laying on the bed, breathless but sated, at least.

Hermione took a few deep breaths in order to recover, before glancing at Severus. He met her hazel eyes and slowly covered her body with the sheet.

"You are going to catch a cold otherwise," he explained with a soft voice.

"Did you really cover me up, Mr. Snape?," Hermione asked, a laugh in her voice.

"Isn't it what a husband is supposed to do?" Severus raised a surprised eyebrow.

"I guess, yes...," Hermione whispered, visibly puzzled by Severus' attention toward her. "It's just that it's not something usual from you. I mean, you're not supposed to care _that much_ about me."

Severus let out a laugh, and passed a hand in his long hair. "I have to care. We're stuck together, Hermione, and it would be a lie to say that I wanted this situation to happen. Unfortunately," he continued in a lower voice, "we have to make this marriage works, or at least we can try, don't you think? Until the abrogation of this Marriage Law, of course."

"It seems fair," Hermione answered, still surprised to hear Severus say something like this. "I'm sure that we can manage to live under the same roof without killing each other until the end of our marriage."

When Severus closed his eyes that night, he thought about the main purpose of his marriage with Hermione Granger, a month ago. He was supposed to become close to her, close enough to learn things about the Ministry, since her best friend was still in contact with Kingsley, according to Lucius. But now, four weeks later, laying on the bed next to her, he realized that he had spent more time arguing with her and making love to her, than asking her questions about what she knew about it.

_It's something that I need to take care of_ , he thought, frowning, before falling in the arms of Morpheus.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Don't hesitate to let me know what you think about this story. :) I still have ten chapters to post, and I'm nowhere near done to be honest. 85k words already, but it seems that I have a lot to tell...


	11. Chapter 10

**Becoming One**

**Chapter 10**

* * *

Severus Snape had always been reluctant to warn his friends about his visits. He always decided all of the sudden that he needed to see them, and that seemed to be enough for him. Obviously, that wasn't the case for his friends, who always told him to inform them about his arrival. But being a spy prevented him to do as they asked; Severus had always unearthed the most valuable information during his unexpected visits. Of course, there were a few exceptions to this rule: he would never have rushed into Dumbledore's office without being invited, and it had also applied to the Dark Lord.

But for the first time of his life, he had been summoned by Lucius Malfoy, who seemed to be eager to see him. During more than a week, Severus had tried to avoid the powerful wizard as much as he could. He had managed to do it perfectly well in the end, and he hadn't been surprised to receive many owls from Lucius in the mean time; the latter was still used to welcome the Potions Master at least twice a week at his former place. But Lucius Malfoy had moved out, and Severus hadn't had the occasion to put a foot into his friend's new house yet.

_Friend_... Severus had more and more trouble to deal with the fact that he was still friend with the Malfoy patriarch. He had been more a spy than a friend during twenty years, and, even if the company of Lucius Malfoy wasn't disagreeable to his eyes for now, he had a bad feeling about it. Lucius Malfoy's wedding with Calypso Perkins, the twin sister of the Ministry employee working on the case of his own marriage with Hermione, had made headlines. The whole Wizarding World had its eyes turned to this former Death Eater who had abruptly divorced from his wife, even if doing so had never been popular in the aristocracy. The _Daily Prophet_ had gone as far as publishing a negative opinions' column about this wedding, letting the people say what they truly thought about this "indecent union".

It was a distinct possibility that Lucius had been wrong all along, Severus thought while climbing the stairs leading to Malfoy's new apartment. Divorcing Narcissa hadn't been his best idea, and this idea could backfire, in the end. With this thought in mind, Severus knocked twice at the heavy black door and just had to wait for a couple of seconds before hearing the door unlock. Cautiously, he pushed the door and entered in the house, without making a single sound.

"It's been quite a long time, my dear friend...," Lucius drawled, his back turned to the door.

"Did you already have the time to set up your wards since your moving?," Severus said quietly, before taking two steps towards the blonde man who was quickly writing something on a piece of parchment. "Or maybe it's that you developed the habit of opening your door to strangers..."

"Of course, I set up my wards," he explained, with a side glance at the Potions Master. "But it's not hard for me to recognize the characteristic noise that your steps make when you enter a room."

Severus smirked, and looked around the living room. "And what noise do I make, please? Enlighten me..."

"Tss tss," Lucius said, while turning around in order to meet his friend's dark gaze. "This is a secret, my dear. You shall know it one day or another, though. But for now, do tell me: what do you think of my new acquisition?", he asked with a wave of his hand at the living room. "Charming, isn't it?"

Severus nodded, but he pursed his lips at the same time, in a comical way. "It is quite... feminine in my opinion."

Lucius let out a laugh, and, two steps later, he put his right hand onto Severus' shoulder. "You know, what woman desires... Calypso changed a few things here and there, but, in all honesty, I think that it is better this way. For example," he added while pointing out the green plants that were next to one of the sofas, "I would never have thought about buying plants for my own house. Who does that?," he finished with a sarcastic smile all over his face.

"It seems that your wife does," Severus retorted with a smirk.

"Yes, my wife," Lucius repeated slowly. "What a beautiful creature she is. I told you about Muggleborns last time, but trust me, Purebloods can be amazing too. I guess that we just have to choose the right ones," he added.

Without a word, Severus sat down in the closest armchair, and looked at Lucius who was opening the door of a cabinet, looking for something to drink.

"Some firewhiskey, Severus?"

"It will not be necessary, thank you, Lucius."

The latter turned right away, raising an eyebrow. "Not necessary? Since when firewhiskey is not necessary? There is always a reason to drink some of this addictive nectar, my friend; you were the one who told me this a long time ago, don't you remember?"

"It is not something that I am proud of, to be honest," Severus drawled, crossing his hands over his stomach.

Lucius served himself a glass of the alcohol and went to sit on the sofa, next to Severus.

"Well, well, well... It's been quite a long time, Severus, and I guess that if you don't even want to drink some firewhiskey, it is because something really bad happened... Tell me everything, old friend."

Lucius' eyes were shinning with some undecipherable light, and Severus was quite ill at ease. He knew perfectly well that Lucius had something precise in mind, and that he wasn't really happy about the fact that Severus hadn't even made the effort to answer his numerous owls. What could the Potions Master possibly reply to this? That he had been busy with making his wife satisfied with their life together? Or maybe he could tell Lucius the truth: that he had had no reason, none whatsoever, to answer him? Severus pushed this idea aside; it wasn't a good idea to provoke Lucius Malfoy, especially in his own house.

"Everything is fine, do not worry about it," Severus eventually answered after a long moment of reflection. "Actually, I am worried about you; how is your marriage doing?"

"You would have known if you had answered one of my several owls, Severus," Lucius retorted with a sarcastic smile. "But anyway, what is done is done, isn't it? In all honestly, I get along with Calypso just fine. She is an amazing cook, I think that I cannot complain. There is just one thing that bugs me off, if you want to know everything..."

"What is it?" Severus urged Lucius to tell him more, an eyebrow raised.

"She always asks so much questions, about my past, about Narcissa, about Draco even. Stop right now, Severus," Lucius added when he saw his old friend smirk. "I still don't think that she is spying on me, as a woman cannot be that clever, if you want my opinion. She's just really annoying about it, as if she wanted to make me think about what I am missing every day."

"Should I understand that you miss your ex-wife?"

"Of course, I miss her," Lucius snapped back quickly, before taking a sip of firewhiskey. "She is my wife, Severus. Calypso is... well..."

"Your wife too," Severus cut him off. "Listen, I read the papers..."

"And you shouldn't have," Lucius interrupted him with an angry look. "Do you really think that you are the only one who read the _Daily Prophet_ , Severus? I read these loathsome articles too, these columns full of hatred for me. I read every word, and I am far from pleased about it."

"It was not what we expected...," the Potions Master said in a low voice.

Lucius put noisily his glass of alcohol back on the coffee table, visibly irritated by this discussion.

"No, it is not, I have to admit it. I thought that the public opinion would have been for me, not against me, for Merlin's sake."

"I think that you easily forget that you used to be a Death Eater...," Severus pointed out with a little shake of his head.

"And is that supposed to mean that I am less than a human? Please, Severus, we all know that this Ministry is the worst thing that could have happened to us. Do you see how they are treating us? Do you realize that they are playing with our lives like children play with toys? But Merlin knows that I am going to play with them the same way that they're doing with me for now, trust me, old friend. But I need information, Severus, and you are the one who is supposed to help getting it. So, do you have any valuable information about what the Ministry is up these days?"

That was the question that Severus had been dreading since this morning. He had been supposed to ask many questions to his wife during these weeks that he had spent with her, but he hadn't done it. He had preferred to spend his time in his laboratory, or in their living room, reading a book while she had been doing the same; he had preferred to spend his nights sleeping with her, when she wasn't reluctant to share his bed. From time to time, Hermione had said no to his advances, understanding that he wanted to have sex with her just out of desire, and not because of the law. He hadn't insisted then, of course, but he had been surprised to see that she could read his reasons in his mind like in an open book.

"Nothing really... valuable," he managed to answer slowly, looking at every change in Lucius' expression. The blond wizard let out a heavy sigh before getting up and pacing the living room, his hands crossed behind his back.

"I cannot believe this, Severus. You already spent almost a month and a half with this damn Mudblood, and you are telling me that she didn't let out some information? You are telling me that she did not spend her days at the Weasleys' crumbling house, with her dear friend Harry Potter?"

Severus clenched his teeth when Lucius pronounced the term " _Mudblood_ ", but he managed to hide his anger. It was something that he had learned during his years as a spy; to hide his real feelings. It had saved him numerous times, and even with the man who was supposed to be his friend, he had always used this trick. And it was still useful at this exact moment.

"Hermione is more focused on her preparation for the upcoming year at this moment. She doesn't spend a lot of time with Potter, I am afraid."

"Damn it...," Lucius mumbled in front of the window. "And do you know when she is supposed to see him?"

"If I remember correctly, she is supposed to be seeing him right now," Severus answered through clenched teeth.

It took time, but eventually, a little smirk appeared on the corner of Lucius' lips. With a satisfied smile, he looked right at Severus.

"Well, I guess that this is your opportunity to collect the information that we both need, Severus."

**XxX**

Two weeks. Two weeks during which Hermione hadn't had the opportunity nor the desire to see Harry Potter, her best friend since she was eleven-year-old. The last time that she had had the occasion to see him, it had been during the Order meeting, that meeting that turned out to be quite a mess.

Harry had tried to defend her, in a way. He had tried to make Kingsley understand that Severus Snape wasn't a threat anymore. To be honest, she thought that Severus hadn't been a threat to the Wizarding World, period. But it hadn't been enough to make Kingsley change his mind, obviously. Hermione didn't know why she was holding this against Harry; after all, he had been one of the few who tried to defend Severus.

Hermione had sent him an owl the previous day, asking him if he was interested in meeting in a café, just the two of them. His answer had been short and concise: " _Just tell me when and where_."

And here she was, sitting in a café, at the window, looking at the passers-by, waiting for a sign of Harry Potter. Right after the War, Harry had been reluctant to be seen in public; he knew that everybody wanted to take a picture of him, or just wanted to see and touch him, the War Hero, the Boy-Who-Lived and who saved all of them at the same time. But now, almost three months later, he didn't care about it anymore. The popular fervor had calmed down with time, and he was able to have a normal life, or something quite similar.

Just when Hermione was about to order a cup of tea, Harry entered in the café, a smile on his face. The waitress looked at him, and immediately, she blushed. Hermione waved at him from where she was, and Harry walked towards her, with a nod for the waitress.

"Another groupie, I guess," Hermione said in a laugh, before getting up in order to hug her friend.

"Don't tell me about it...," Harry sighed while taking a seat. "At least, this one seems nice and isn't trying to kidnap me. I have to say that I'm quite impatient to begin my career as an Auror."

"Sure, you are. In more or less two weeks, am I right?"

"Exactly. Just when Ginny will go back to Hogwarts."

"Don't you think that the separation will be hard?," Hermione asked in a concerned voice.

"Oh you know... We were far from each other during a year, so I guess that we'll go through it easily. But what about you, Hermione? It's been quite a long time, I was concerned about you, all of us were..."

Hermione let out a little laugh. "Oh, really? Do they all care about the traitor's wife?"

"Please, Hermione, don't be so stubborn. What I know, what we both know about Snape, not everyone knows it."

"But we told them! Isn't it enough?"

"It should, but... I can understand why they are so paranoiac about former Death Eaters. Just please," Harry said in a softer voice, "for a second, just forget that you are married to Snape, and think about it; wouldn't you believe that he hasn't changed too? Wouldn't you believe that he's still plotting against us and the Ministry?"

Hermione bit the inside of her cheek, and the waitress' arrival next to their table gave her more time to think about it. She ordered a cup of Darjeeling tea, while Harry opted for a cappuccino, and they were alone a second later.

"Wouldn't you?," Harry asked again.

"What do you want me to answer to that, Harry?," she sighed. "I mean, well, okay, I would have had some concerns about Severus Snape if I hadn't been his wife and if I had learned this information. But trust me, I would have been more concerned about it if I had had any doubt since I've become his wife. What do you think, Harry? That I would marry a traitor on my own?"

She saw in his eyes that he knew that she was right. She then decided to go further. "I'm living with him, you know. I even share his bed. Please, spare me your sarcasm," she quickly added when she saw him roll his eyes. "I have to, Harry. It's been almost two months since I've had this ring on my finger, and living with him helped me to understand him, in a way. I'm not saying that we share a lot of things, far from it. I'm just saying that I've had the opportunity to keep an eye on him, and I'm sure that he's not a bad person. He spends his days in his laboratory, we spend our nights together, and this relationship works perfectly fine for both of us."

"He spends his days in his laboratory? Doesn't he leave your house?," Harry asked, and Hermione could hear the suspicion in his voice.

"Of course, sometimes he spends the evening outside. But to be honest, that didn't happen often these last two weeks. Anyway, I just want you to believe me, Harry: we have nothing to fear from Severus."

Harry took one or two minutes before nodding. That was the moment when their beverages arrived at their table.

"Well, let's say that you're right. Then what about his meetings with Malfoy, Mulciber and all their friends?"

Hermione looked down at her tea and started to stir it absentmindedly.

"How am I supposed to know, Harry? I'm his wife, sure; but do you really think that he trusts me enough to answer me if I'd dare asking him who is he seeing when he comes back home late in the night?"

She seemed to be almost angry by his questions. Harry tried to calm her down, even if he knew that the harm had already been done. "Hermione, I got it. And I'm not asking you to question Snape about these meetings. Hell, I didn't even want to talk about it in the first place," he sighed.

"I'm sorry, Harry, it's just that... I'm tired with all of this. It seems that everything, everyone is against me right now. The Ministry, the Weasleys..."

"You're wrong," Harry cut her off, taking her hand in his. "Nobody is against you. They're just... reserved about Snape, that's all. You don't have to take it personally."

"It's easy for you to say that. But I know that Kingsley doesn't trust me at all. You saw it yourself: I wasn't even invited to the last meeting of the Order! What can this means, in your honest opinion?"

Harry understood that it was a purely rhetorical question, and he didn't even bother answering it. He just nodded, knowing exactly what Hermione meant.

"I didn't understand either, you know. I think that he's got his reasons, though."

"Yes, sure; I'm married to a traitor, that's my crime. But oh well, I think that I have to live with it right now," she concluded in a bitter laugh.

Slowly, they finally changed the subject, and their old friendship took over. They talked about the upcoming year, Harry at his Auror training, and Hermione at St. Mungo's. She was eager to start her apprenticeship. During her first year, she would spend six months at the St. Mungo's School, located to the top floor of the hospital, and the other six months would be dedicated to her apprenticeship.

"And in two years, you'll be the best healer of your time, right?," Harry asked with a grin.

"I'll be a healer, period," Hermione answered with a shy smile.

"And with some luck, you'll be a divorced witch too," her friend added.

Hermione looked right at him, and eventually nodded.

"Yes, with some luck...," she repeated in a low voice.

**XxX**

Hermione arrived at home around six in the afternoon, and was surprised to notice that Severus wasn't there. She had grown more and more used to hear the constant sound of some potion brewing in a cauldron every time that she came home, and for the first time of the week, this sound was missing.

The young woman took advantage of this time alone to prepare herself a cup of tea, and grabbed the book that she was reading at the moment: _The Diary of Anaïs Nin_. It was an autobiography that she had found on her mother's bookshelf two years ago, but she hadn't had the opportunity to read it before now. She eventually sat in the armchair, the one turned towards the windows, and resumed her reading. But while she planned to read further about Anaïs Nin's life, her thoughts quickly drifted to something else. All of the things that she had lived through in the past two months were coming back to her, and she was missing these good old days spent at Hogwarts, having the sole objective of having the best grades in the school. And to defeat Voldemort, she added to herself, smiling at her own oversight.

Things had changed drastically in a couple of weeks, her life had changed. Her thinking had changed; she was no longer a young girl and had grown into a young woman, a woman with duties, so many duties. Without even thinking about it, she put her right hand onto her flat stomach, aware that it was supposed to be filled with another life in a few months, filled with a part of Severus Snape.

The latter had made her life easier during the last week. Their relationship was becoming more and more neutral, both of them trying to put their reluctance to live together aside. And so far, they had managed to do it with success. Hermione had talked to him about her future schooling at St. Mungo's, and she had been surprised to notice that Severus had seemed to be truly happy about it.

"It is nice to see a former student doing what she truly wants to do," he had explained to her, seeing the astonishment that she hadn't been able to hide.

Hermione had been so amazed by his reaction – not that she had thought that he would have been scornful about it, but she had expected him to be cold and distant – that she had asked him if she could use his laboratory from time to time, in order to work on some potions. His answer had been surprising too: he had said yes.

"I just have one condition," he had added in his baritone voice, which had made her shiver, "you shall stop working before midnight. I also need to work in this laboratory, and I prefer to work at night."

She had agreed, and they had gone to bed together, like every night for the past week. Hermione was more and more surprised to see how natural it seemed to wake up against Severus' warm body in the morning. It hadn't occurred everyday though; most of the time, Severus was the first one to wake up, leaving her alone in the huge bed, sometimes feeling sore because of their lovemaking of the previous night. They had agreed to have sex twice a week, and Hermione had tried to convince herself that she was doing it because she was supposed to, not because she wanted to. Of course, she kept telling herself when she drifted into sleep right after having an orgasm, that she couldn't _want_ to have sex with Severus Snape, she just couldn't. It was abnormal, it was... prohibited. He had been her teacher for so many years, for Merlin's sake, and she was forced by a stupid law to have sex with him. But it wasn't a sin to want to take pleasure from it, wasn't it?

Hermione was so deep in thoughts that she jumped when she heard Severus' deep and sensual voice whisper next to her ear.

" _"I only feel close to people who arouse my energy, who make enormous demands of me, who are capable of enriching me with experience, pain, people who do not doubt my courage, or my toughness"_... Is that so?"

Hermione looked up and meet the dark gaze of Severus Snape on her. He had a sarcastic smile on the corner of his lips, and Hermione quickly closed the book that Severus had just read over her shoulder.

"I didn't hear you come in," she explained before putting her – luckily – half-empty cup of tea back onto the coffee table. "You scared me."

"I did not intent to scare you, please forgive me. I tried to make as little noise as possible, like always. Moreover, you seemed to be deep in thoughts."

"And why did you do this?," Hermione asked while Severus sat in the armchair next to her.

"Someone just told me that my footsteps were... highly recognizable. I am currently working on it," he drawled, before taking the cup of tea that Gretchen just brought him. "Thank you, Gretchen. You can prepare the dinner now," he added to the attention of the little elf, who left the living room with a bow.

Hermione frowned. "Why did she bring you a cup of tea? I didn't hear you asking for one, correct me if I'm wrong."

"I asked Gretchen to bring me a cup of tea when I came back, this morning. You were still asleep, if I remember well."

"The more we talk, the more I think that I spend my days and nights in bed," Hermione sighed, smiling.

"I am not denying it," Severus retorted before taking a sip of the hot beverage. "What were you reading?"

Hermione blushed and instinctively squeezed the book against her chest. "It's an autobiography, or should I say a diary, of Anaïs Nin, a writer."

"And do you agree with her?"

"I beg your pardon?"

"Do you agree with her?," Severus repeated with a piercing look before explaining his thoughts. " _I only feel close to people who arouse my energy_..."

Hermione froze for a second, as if she was trying to remember the whole sentence that Severus had read next to her ear, causing her whole body to shiver at the same time. His voice had always had so much power on her; when she had been his student, she had feared every word that came out of his mouth, she had studied every intonation of his voice, trying to decipher what he really wanted to say. She had also studied his gestures, the way he paced through the classroom, the way he looked right at every student. Sometimes, his eyes were full of disdain; sometimes they were full of pride, especially when one of the Slytherins properly answered a question. And Hermione had deciphered another one of his looks recently; sometimes, he was looking right at her with his eyes full of lust, especially before going to bed. These looks were hard to withstand, and she always ended up looking at something else during these moments.

"I do," Hermione whispered as an answer.

"Can you read me more of it? I have to admit that this book seems to be interesting."

Slowly, Hermione nodded and opened the book, looking for the last page that she had read. She eventually found it, and cleared her throat before continuing her reading. But when she was about to read the rest of the paragraph, she frowned.

"I have to read the first sentence again, it doesn't make sense otherwise," she explained to Severus who nodded, urging her to do what she thought was necessary. Hermione resumed her reading. " _I only feel close to people who arouse my energy, who make enormous demands of me, who are capable of enriching me with experience, pain, people who do not doubt my courage, or my toughness. People who do not believe me naive or innocent, but who challenge my keenest wisdom, who have the courage to treat me like a woman in spite of the fact that they are aware of my vulnerability."_

Her voice was steady and clear, and when she looked up at Severus, she was surprised to see that his eyes were almost closed, as if he was trying to absorb every word that came out from her mouth. A second later, his eyes were wide open, and he let out a sigh of satisfaction.

"I can understand why you are reading this book, Hermione," he said slowly, his cup of tea near his thin lips.

"Can you?"

"Of course. I shall not be surprised to learn that you feel a connection with this Anaïs Nin. Or that, at least, you want to be as strong as she seems to be. You want to be treated like a woman, just like she wanted to be."

Hermione shook her head, a smile on her lips. "I'm far from being like this woman. She was everything that I'm not."

"But you want to be like her," Severus said quickly.

"Who doesn't? She was an amazing woman, proud of who she was, not ashamed of what she felt. She wrote some... erotic novels too," Hermione added in a whisper.

Severus answered with a smirk, and finished his cup of tea. "You should not be ashamed of what you feel, Hermione. And, to be honest, there is at least someone who treats you like the woman that you are, the woman that you became during the last two months."

His gaze was ardent, and Hermione wanted to look away, just like she usually did. But for the first time, she decided to withstand his look, to overtake her vulnerability and to show some courage to her husband.

"And who is this amazing person, pray tell?," she asked, deliberately using one of Severus' expressions.

"What would be your answer if I said that this person is right in front of you?," he muttered, his eyes still on hers, like a predator intensely observing its prey.

"I'd say that I'm waiting for you to " _arouse my energy_ " then," Hermione answered matter-of-factly.

There was a silence; a silence long enough for them to be embarrassed. But both of them were far from being embarrassed. Actually, Severus was pleased by the situation; he never thought that Hermione could be so straight to the point, so eager to provoke him, one way or another. And provoking him, she did; the first thing that he wanted to do right now was to take her right in this armchair. He obviously knew that the quote that she had read from the book had little to do with sex, but the tone that Hermione had used and the fire that was burning in her eyes were enough to drive him crazy.

Hermione, for her part, wasn't ashamed of her own words, to her great surprise. She meant every word, and if she needed to say it again, she'd do it without a single hesitation. When Severus rose slowly from his armchair, gracefully like a feline, she held her breath, biting the inside of her cheek at the same time. The whole situation was highly arousing, and Hermione discreetly rubbed her tights against each other to try to get rid of this disturbing feeling that was growing between her legs. Severus walked towards her, and it was just a matter of seconds before he bent down and put his large and calloused hands onto the arms of Hermione's armchair.

"Is it really what you want, Hermione?," Severus asked in a silky voice, his face just a few inches from hers. Her eyes were looking at his mouth, and Severus seemed to notice it, judging from the smirk that just appeared in the corner of his lips.

Hermione couldn't answer him; her voice seemed to be stuck in her throat, and she simply nodded. Twice. It was enough for Severus to take her face in his hands and kiss her fervently. They both moaned at the delightful sensation, and just when Hermione was about to open her mouth to let Severus intensify the kiss, Gretchen appeared into the living room, a huge smile on her face.

"Dinner is ready, Master!," she said loudly, and Severus let go of Hermione's lips, rolling his eyes at the same time.

"Thank you, Gretchen," he mumbled while standing up. Hermione couldn't repress a smile.

"Bad timing, I'm afraid," she muttered and stood up too. "I have to thank Gretchen, though."

Severus arched an eyebrow, surprised by her answer. "You did not seem to be reluctant..."

"No, I wasn't reluctant at all. I'm just famished. I ate lunch really early," she admitted in a laugh, heading for the dining room. "Are you coming with me?"

Severus let out a sigh of despair, but he eventually followed her. He pulled Hermione's chair, giving her time to sit down, and sat in front of her while Gretchen was serving the dinner.

"If I remember well, you were supposed to see Potter today," Severus said to his wife, who looked up at him.

"Yes, I was with Harry today. We spent the day together."

"It must be awkward to find yourself alone with him."

"Why are you saying that?," Hermione asked, frowning.

"You used to be three, didn't you? You, Potter, and Weasley."

Hermione froze at the memory of Ron, ill-at-ease. It still was hard to hear about her former friend, who had preferred to run away instead of helping her. It was because of him that she was married to Severus Snape and that she was eating with him at this exact moment. It was because of him that she had lost her virginity in the arms of someone that she'd barely known at the time. Things had changed, certainly, but the fact that Ron Weasley had abandoned her when she needed him the most remained.

"Yes, we used to be three. But people change, sometimes for the best, sometimes not," she answered icily, a fake smile on her lips.

"I agree," Severus nodded with a grave expression while taking a sip of wine. "How is Potter, if I may ask?"

"He's doing pretty well actually. The War affected him greatly of course, but he doesn't show it. He seems to deal with it in an admirable way."

"It is nothing less that I would expect from him. What is his future career plan, by the way?"

"He's going to begin his career as an Auror in two weeks or so," she answered quickly before realising what she had said. "I wasn't supposed to say that..."

"Do not worry, your secrets are safe with me. I am your husband, or do you not remember?," Severus said with a smile.

Hermione nodded, and continued to eat in silence. Harry didn't want people to know that he was about to become an Auror. Of course, everyone expected him to do so, but he didn't want to suffer the public pressure before entering the Auror program.

They were eating their desserts when Severus started asking his questions again.

"Did you have another meeting with this Ministry employee of whom you told me about a few weeks ago?"

Hermione frowned, not knowing what he was talking about, but eventually, her face softened, as she was remembering about the "Ministry employee" whom she used as an excuse to cover up the Order meeting. "Not at all, which I greatly regret. I don't have any more information about this Marriage Law. I just know that I have this appointment with Calypso Perkins next week," she explained while gazing at her last piece of chocolate cake.

Hermione didn't have to look at Severus' expression to understand that her tongue had slipped. She swallowed hard and looked up at her husband who seemed to be suspicious.

" _Calypso Perkins?_ ," he asked in a low voice, keeping his eyes fixed on her.

"I mean, Eterna Perkins, of course. I don't know why I said Calypso, I don't even know someone who has this name," she tried to explain herself with a little laugh. "Anyway, I am not really eager to meet Healer Perkins again, if you want my opinion," she quickly added to divert his attention from the Perkins' twins.

Severus didn't answer, but Hermione noticed that he didn't even bother finishing his dessert. He stood up a second later, leaving her alone at the table.

"I apologise, Hermione, but I have a lot of work to finish tonight. I shall see you later, if you do not mind," he said slowly, before heading to his laboratory, leaving her alone and self-conscious. She cursed herself in a low voice, blaming herself for having said too much.

_Severus isn't a traitor_ , she told herself as she was drinking the last drops of water in her glass, her hand shaking a little too much while doing so. But why was she so terrified at the thought of having said something that she shouldn't have?

Hermione spent long minutes in the dining room, her fingers drumming nervously on the wooden table, trying to figure out what she was supposed to do now. She knew that Lucius Malfoy was supposed to marry Calypso Perkins, the Auror had said it during the Order reunion. If Severus was still talking to Lucius, as Kingsley had suggested it, he would make the link in a heartbeat. Of course, she could say that she had read her name somewhere in the _Daily Prophet_ , which was also the truth actually.

"But you just told him that you don't know anyone named Calypso... You're so stupid, Hermione...," she mumbled to herself before leaving the dining room, her feet leading her to the bathroom where she splashed some water on her face, letting out a heavy sigh.

**XxX**

Hermione had fallen asleep way before Severus had entered the heat of their sheets. That was the reason why she opened her eyes first in the morning. Severus was fast asleep next to her, and she didn't make any sound when she left the bed. He was snoring lightly, and Hermione closed the door behind her, letting him sleep.

When she entered the living room, her body covered with a satin babydoll, her eyes met the amber ones of an owl that was waiting for her. She walked towards it and gently took the parchment in its beak before giving him some treats that Severus had put next to the window. The owl didn't fly away, obviously waiting for an answer. Hermione quickly read the parchment marked with the seal of the Minister of Magic; _Kingsley_.

" _Dear Hermione,_

_First, I want to apologise for the Order meeting; it was inappropriate of me not to invite you. You were, and still are, a part of the Order, and you helped us greatly in the past._

_Moreover, I want to personally invite you for a private meeting in my office on Friday, 18th of August; they are some information that I need to share with you. Your help could, once more, make the difference._

_With kindest regards,_

_Kingsley Shacklebolt_ "

Hermione folded up the parchment, deep in thoughts. _Some information_ that the Minister of Magic wanted to share with her... Her heart sank when she thought about Severus' reaction the night prior. But at the same time, she couldn't help but think about Kingsley Shacklebolt' paranoia when it came to Severus. She closed her eyes and took some deep breaths in order to focus, and eventually grabbed a quill that was on the coffee table, along with an inkwell. She turned the parchment in order to answer to the Minister of Magic, and when it was done, she gave it to the owl which flew away.

Kingsley Shacklebolt wouldn't spent a lot of time reading her answer, Hermione thought; she had got straight to the point : " _I'll be there_."


	12. Chapter 11

**Becoming One**

**Chapter 11**

* * *

"What are you doing here that early, Hermione?" Severus asked in a low voice, while entering the living room at a slow pace.

Hermione jumped, and turned her attention to her husband. Her back was laying to the open window where the owl had flew away a few seconds before, and her right hand was clenched around the curtains that were pushed to one side. She hadn't seen Severus since the previous night, when he had left her alone in the dining room, heading to his laboratory. Her slip of tongue came back into her mind, and Hermione swallowed hard.

Severus' expression was undecipherable, as always. His eyes were darker than ever, though, while he was wearing his usual black robe, even at that time of the day.

"I thought that you were still asleep," Hermione said.

"I am not a heavy sleeper, unlike you. So you can understand my surprise to see you awake that early," he drawled, and Hermione noticed his suspicious tone. "What are you doing next to this window, may I ask?"

This discussion, as innocent as it seemed to be, was far from it. Hermione could see how suspicious Severus was, despite the softness of his voice. And he had his reasons, she thought. Of course, he wouldn't be please to learn that the owl that just flew away was meant for Kingsley Shacklebolt, the man who had many doubts about him. Her instinct was telling her that Severus was aware of that suspicion about him. How? That was the question that remained unanswered.

"I just sent an owl to a friend of mine. Is it prohibited?," she asked, raising her chin a little bit to show that she wasn't intimidated at all; but inside, she was shaking.

Severus took a few steps towards her, and a smirk could be seen on his lips.

"Of course not, Hermione. You are not a captive here, and I thought that I made myself clear about that many days ago. To be honest," he continued, closer than ever, "I thought that our relationship was becoming more and more... _intimate_. Am I wrong?"

His last words had been said in a whisper, and it was a good thing that they were that close; Hermione had heard every word, every syllable of it. She had to raise her head a little more again to meet her husband 's obsidian eyes.

If, two months prior, someone would have said that she would find her husband attractive one day or another, she would have hexed him into oblivion in a second. Severus Snape was close to her mouth, and she was thinking about two opposites: a part of her was scared of this tall man who was criticized, spied on by the Ministry. But another part of her wanted to close the gap between their two bodies and gently caress his lips, like he had done a few hours earlier in this same living room.

Gently, Severus pushed away a single lock of Hermione's hair behind her ear, in a slow movement.

"You did not wait for me last night," he whispered, and Hermione shuddered, aroused by the whole situation. For the first time of her life, she was truly attracted by the danger. If Kingsley was right, she thought, she was flirting with the enemy, with someone who was plotting against what they had spent so many time to rebuild.

Slowly, Hermione turned her head to one side, and got free from Severus' embrace. She took a few steps towards the kitchen, turning her back to him.

"Is something wrong?," Severus asked while Hermione shook her head.

"No, it's just that I feel a little sick today. I think that I woke up too fast, that's all."

She turned a little to give him a weak smile, before heading for the kitchen to take something to eat.

Severus didn't move. He stayed next to the window, and his alert eyes looked around the neighborhood, as if he was searching for something; a clue about what Hermione was up to. He didn't find anything, and, frowning, he rejoined her in the kitchen. She had already put her hands on a bottle of milk, along with a bowl of cereals and a jar of jam.

"Can you take the bread and bring it to the dining room, please?," she asked when she saw him come in the kitchen.

Severus gave her a curt nod and did as she said. During their breakfast, they didn't speak; they just spent time to stare at each other, as two people who didn't believe in each other. Hermione was looking at Severus as he would have been able to use an unforgivable curse against her, while Severus was thinking about what she had said to him the night prior.

_Calypso Perkins_. This simple name was spinning around his head, again and again. Sure, they received the _Daily Prophet_ at their flat, and Severus was sure that Hermione read it from time to time, even if she didn't do it every day. But why had she tried to lie to him? Why had she said that she didn't know someone with this name, when Severus was sure that she had read it somewhere, one way or another?

There was no way that Hermione could have met Calypso Perkins during her years at Hogwarts; his wife was a Muggleborn, and during holidays, she used to spend some time with her family, or with the Weasleys. The Perkins being Pureblood, and most of them being proud of it, there was no reason for her to have met Calypso Perkins before.

Severus hadn't slept well the night before; his thoughts had been all turned at his numerous discussions with Lucius, and Hermione's implication in all of this situation. She was the one supposed to give him all the information that he needed about the Ministry; what they were up to, what were their thoughts about the former Death Eaters who had made amends right after their defeat in the War, and more especially, what were their thoughts about him, the former spy who, to the eyes of some of them, had committed the greatest betrayal by killing Albus Dumbledore.

Severus had sent an owl to Lucius late in the night, way after Hermione had fallen asleep; that was the reason why he had been suspicious when he had seen her so close to the window in the morning. And what if she had intercepted a missive meant to him?

**XxX**

"Is everything alright, Lucius?," Calypso asked, putting her hand onto his husband's one.

Lucius raised his eyes from the letter that he had just read, and met the wall eyes of the young Pureblood. She had a shy smile on her lips, and, if he hadn't knew better, Lucius Malfoy could have been fooled by her beauty. With a smirk, Lucius quickly folded up the letter that he had received when he had waken up, and that he had decided to read while having breakfast.

He grabbed his cup of tea and brought it to his mouth, gently sipping the hot beverage, taking care not to burn his tongue.

"Everything is fine, my dear. I just received an interesting letter from an old friend of mine."

"May I ask who is this friend of yours?," she asked while taking a bite of her slide of bread and honey.

"Why are you so eager to know who he is?," Lucius asked, raising an eyebrow at the same time.

"I'm your wife after all, I think that I'll meet your friend one day or another, don't you think?"

Lucius pursed his lips, and took his time to look at Calypso. She was focused on her breakfast, as if the discussion that she was having with him wasn't important at all to her eyes. But Lucius knew that it was far from the truth. Deep inside, he was weighting the pros and the cons; he didn't know if he had to talk about Hermione Granger in front of Calypso. But at the same time, he wanted to elicite a reaction from his wife, he wanted to know what was going on. The last think that he wanted was to be in the dark. At chess, Lucius was used to stay one step ahead, and he didn't want to change this habit.

Lazily, he rested his back against the chair, and played with a slice of bread that was in front of him.

"I give you that," he eventually answered, before taking a white grape and eating it. "This friend is Severus Snape. I bet that you already heard about him, didn't you?"

Calypso raised her head from her plate full of fruits, and Lucius noticed the spark of interest that she was trying to hide in the bottom of her eyes. Interesting, he thought while giving her a smile.

"Isn't he a Potions Master? I have to admit that his name rings a bell, somehow...," she said.

"Yes, he is. But I guess that you also read articles about him in the _Daily Prophet_. _The man who killed this dear Dumbledore_ made headlines back in time."

Calypso Malfoy blinked several times, her right eye twitching at the same time, as if she was trying to remember things about Severus. Her lips were moving in a sensual way, and Lucius was disturbed for a little moment, but it wasn't enough for him to be distracted.

"Yes, I read about what happened to the former Headmaster of Hogwarts. I didn't have the opportunity to meet him in person, but he seemed to be a great man."

"Oh, sometimes I forget that you studied at Beauxbatons," answered Lucius with a wave of his hand. "I'm not going to say that he was a great man; actually, if you want my opinion, he was more like an old and senile man, who just wanted a thing: protecting his dear Potter."

Lucius had spat the name of the Boy-Who-Lived, like it was a poison in his mouth. He took another grape that disappeared in his mouth, his eyes still focused on the brunette. He noticed that she had raised her eyebrow a bit, as if she wasn't pleased by what her husband had just said. It wasn't a surprise to Lucius, since Calypso was a Ministry employee, close to Kingsley to top if off.

Kingsley, the man who Lucius hated the most since the end of the War; Kingsley, the man who had refused to give him the Ministry absolution for his "crimes" during the War, despite his amends. The Minister of Magic had made his life a living hell, forcing him to live as a pariah, to hide from the Wizards who were making a fool out of him, and Lucius was sure that it was far from the end.

"To protect Harry Potter...," Lucius continued, his fingers drumming onto the dining table while the house elf that he had employed a few days before to replace the one that he left at the Manor was clearing the empty plates, leaving the full ones in front of Calypso and Lucius. "It was also a mission of Kingsley Shacklebolt, isn't it?"

Being subtle, that was Lucius' key to have the information that he needed. He didn't know if he was succeeding to it, though. Subtlety had never been one of his qualities.

"I guess so," simply retorted Calypso with a bright smile that seemed to be a fake one to Lucius' eyes. But two can play a game, he thought while returning her smile.

"But now his mission is to protect all of the Magical citizens of England, if I'm not wrong," he drawled before eating a little slice of bread.

"And he manages to do it pretty well, if you want my opinion."

Lucius let out a loud and bitter laugh, taking Calypso by surprise.

"Look at me, dear wife," he whispered, contrasting whith his loud laugh. "Do you think that Kingsley Shacklebolt is protecting me right now?"

His eyes were cold as ice, and he saw her swallowing hard, and blinking several times.

"He's not acting against you, I guess that it's enough considering... the _circumstances_."

Lucius breathed heavily and nodded dumbly.

"The _circumstances_...," he eventually repeated, deep in thought. "And what circumstances are you talking about?"

Calypso cleared her throat before taking a sip of tea. "Do I really need to remind you of your past as a Death Eater, Lucius?," she asked in a clear and steady voice, looking straight at him. "Of course, I'm not saying that you are still a threat to the Wizarding World, otherwise, I would not have accepted to become your wife," she added with a smile, "but you have to understand that the Minister of Magic has his reasons to be suspicious, I guess."

Lucius stayed still, nervously tipping on the porcelain of his cup of tea, his jaw clenched. Despite his eager to know more about Kingsley's plans, he refrained his desire to ask Calypso more questions.

"Let's say that you're right. I am ready to do everything that I could to make him change his mind about me," he eventually said.

Calypso seemed to relax a little, and Lucius gave her the last stroke.

"By the way, Calypso," he began in a low voice, "Severus sent me this letter to talk about some "personal" stuff, and I was wondering: do you know his wife?"

"I have no idea whom you're talking about. Did they talk about their marriage in the newspapers?," she asked, a candid expression all over her face.

"Not as much as ours, I'm afraid. But maybe that you know her name: Hermione Granger it is."

"I'm afraid that I don't know who she is. But I guess that we will be introduce soon, since Severus seems to be one of your closest friend," she said nicely.

Lucius smiled at her, and a silence fell between them. Eventually, the blond man rose from his chair and took his walking stick that he had put right next to the table.

"It is an excellent idea. I have things to do today, Calypso. I shall be back at home before dawn. Have a nice day."

He took her hand in his and put a kiss on it, without leaving her eyes while doing so. When he headed to the entrance door, a smirk was on his face. He had already noticed that Calypso used to have her right eye twitching when she was disturbed by something. And, unfortunately for her, Lucius thought while opening the door and leaving his apartment, her eye had betrayed her when he had talked about Hermione Granger.

" _Game on_ ," he said to himself when he closed the door behind him.

**XxX**

Casually seated in an armchair in front of the Minister of Magic desk, Harry Potter looked at the owl that gently settled on its perch, its amber eyes focused on Kingsley Shacklebolt. The latter stood up and took the parchment on the owl's leg, before giving it a treat.

"Go get some rest with the other owls," he said quickly before sitting down behind his desk, without a glance for Harry Potter who was waiting for him.

Harry saw him scan the letter in a second, and a smile appeared on the Minister's face.

"Good news?," Harry asked.

" _Very_ good news. I thought that it would have been harder to convince her, but it seems that Hermione is more than eager to learn more about the information that we've got."

"That you've got," Harry rectified.

"You are going to learn more about it, Harry. Since Calypso is currently working on Malfoy's case, I want you to take care of Snape's one. Along with Hermione."

Harry raised a surprised eyebrow, not expecting something like that.

"Wait, Kingsley, I'm just at the beginning of my Auror career, I can't possibly...," he began before being cut off by the black wizard.

"You can, and you will. I put my trust on you, Harry, as Albus did before me. I know that you will not disappoint me, even if you think otherwise. Of course, Hermione is the key here, she has to help us too. That's the reason why I need to talk to you first; you are her best friend after all."

Harry didn't answer. He just looked at the Minister of Magic with his deep green eyes, trying to look the more professional that he could. He was an adult now, an adult with responsibilities. Of course, he had always had so many responsibilities over his shoulders, but this time seemed to be different, for a reason that was still in a blur for him.

"You see, Harry, the problem here is that we don't have a lot of information to give to Hermione. Actually, we don't have anything about Severus Snape, except what you saw during the last Order meeting. But it's not a reason to give up; I know that there is something wrong with Severus Snape, and I have to find a way to prove it. The only thing that I thought about is to ask Hermione to help us."

"And how will you do it? You saw it yourself: she doesn't trust you. Hermione has always been a brilliant witch, and if there is something that qualifies her, it's the fact that she believes in justice. From what I know, we've got nothing against Snape," Harry retorted in a low voice.

Kingsley moved on his chair, visibly ill-at-ease.

"And do you have something _for_ him? Except his own memories that he could have falsified in a heartbeat," he quickly added when he saw Harry open his mouth. "I need you, Harry. You're an Auror now: that means a lot of things, and, above all, that means that you're my employee."

Kingley's tone wasn't scary, far from it; but Harry didn't take it well either. He frowned, and crossed his arms over his chest.

"What do you mean by that, Minister?"

Kingsley Shacklebolt took a deep breath before folding his hands over his desk.

"I plan to give Hermione some... information that may not be true. We don't know yet it they're false or not. These information are not coming from nowhere, far from it; a lot of Aurors worked on this case and we are pretty sure that what they found is true. The thing is that we are not sure that they are true yet. And to know it, we need to have Hermione on our side. She will spy for us, in a way."

Harry shook his head, visibly shocked by what the Minister of Magic was telling him.

"So you mean that you're going to lie to Hermione to turn her against Snape?"

"I don't want to turn her against Snape, I want her to be on our side. That's a difference," Kingsley explained slowly.

"It's just a different way to say it!," Harry shouted. "I can't believe it..."

"Are you with the Ministry, Potter?," Kingsley quickly asked, irritated by Harry's reaction. "Don't think that I'm doing it for the pleasure; I just want to multiply our chances to overthrow a plot against the Ministry. What they did during the War shouldn't stay unpunished. These people can't be thrown to Azkaban, but trust me, if I was the only one in charge of it, if I didn't care about the public opinion, they'd be there right now. But I'm sure, so sure that they are up to something, and I need to prove it."

Harry looked around, deep in thoughts. He was an Auror now. He was alone, not surrounded by his friends anymore. His duty was to help the Ministry, of course; his work was to defeat the Dark Forces, once again. During his schooling in Hogwarts, he had always followed his heart, in a way. Even if he hadn't always been sure to be right to do so, he had always stayed true to his heart. Always.

And now, Kingsley Shacklebolt, the Minister of Magic, his superior, was asking him to do exactly the contrary of what he had used to do in the past. His hands were slightly shaking, as if his whole body had understood that the decision that he was about to make would change the course of his life drastically.

When Harry looked up at Kingsley, he saw that the Minister was waiting for an answer, his eyes darted on his green ones.

"I'll do what I need to do as an Auror," Harry finally whispered, eliciting a huge smile from the Minister of Magic.

**XxX**

_" Dear Severus,_

_You were right; something is wrong about Calypso and Granger. Both of them are suspicious to my eyes, and I am more and more convinced that they are spying on us. For what reason, I still do not know. As far as I am concerned, I just wanted to be rehabilitated, and so did you. That was the reason why we had married these women in the first place: to show to the whole Wizarding World that we wanted to be a part of their community. But now, I am not sure that this is enough anymore . Think about it, Severus, I am sure that you shall understand my point here._

_Burn this parchment once you 've read it._

_Lucius "_

In a slow movement, Severus Snape crushed the piece of parchment in his hand and made it burn over the kitchen sink with his wand. He stared at the burning parchment during several seconds, hearing over and over Lucius' words in his head before letting the little piece of parchment that was still in his right hand fall in the empty sink. His two hands rested on the cold surface of the sink, he let out a sight, thinking about Hermione, the woman who had been sharing his bed since the beginning of their marriage, more or less. Her chestnut eyes full of fear when he had been about to ravish her virginity came to his mind, and he quickly shook his head, not wanting to think about things like that; it made him weak, and it was far from what he needed right now: he needed a clear mind to think properly.

Suddenly a movement caught his attention, and he encountered the big eyes of Gretchen.

"Does Master need something?," she asked.

"No, thank you Gretchen, you can have some rest."

It was late in the night, and Hermione was already asleep in their bed. They had made love. She had moaned against his ear, urging him to take her harder, faster. During these moments, every suspicion about her was far from his mind. He was just focused on the pleasure that they shared, the pleasure that he gave her more than anything. He knew that he was far from an Apollo, and that was one of the reasons why he was trying so hard to satisfy her, one way or another. Hermione, on the contrary, was beautiful, with her amazing curves and her breasts big enough for him to take them in his large hands. She had grown to be open-minded in bed, much more than what he had thought in the beginning of their relationship, and it was a blessing to wake up every morning next to such a beauty. She was no longer his ex-student; she was his wife.

But the suspicions always came _after_ , as right now, while he was standing in the middle of the kitchen, almost naked and alone in the dark. What if Lucius was right, what if Hermione was actually spying on him? He couldn't help but think that it would be only fair, after all: he was the one who had had the intention to spy on her to begin with. To be honest, their whole marriage was built on this, on the fact that Hermione was just supposed to be an information supplier, to be his cover to show to everyone that he was a good person. Their relationship had changed little by little in a two months time, and Severus had learned to respect her and to appreciate her company, to his great surprise. Living with Hermione Granger wasn't as unpleasant as he had thought in the first place.

Severus served himself a glass of water and drank all of it in a single movement.

" _I am not sure that this is enough anymore_ "... What was the point of Lucius? The latter seemed to be sure that Severus would have understood, but it was far from the truth; actually, Severus had no idea about it. He tried to focus, gently massaging the part of his nose that was between his two obsidian eyes.

He know how extreme Lucius could be sometimes, and it was something that he had always warned his friend of; being that extreme could bring some unpleasant and unexpected things, and things could backfire at him in a heartbeat. But Lucius had never listened to his wise words. That was the reason why he had been so close to the Dark Lord in the first place, closer than Severus had ever been, despite his privileged status to the Dark Lord's eyes.

Lucius had always been a follower to Severus' eyes, and the Potions Master was surprised to see how quickly the blonde wizard had changed his plans after the Dark Lord defeat. Severus had thought that it would have taken him more time, but in the end, Lucius had decided to take his future in his hands and not let anyone mess with it. It could have been a good thing, in a way; but Lucius now wanted everything at the exact moment that he needed it. Having lived in the shadow of someone so much more powerful than him had marked Lucius, and not for the best, Severus thought.

And now, the Potions Master wanted to know what Lucius was up to these days. To want to be rehabilitated was something; to play with Dark magic in order to do it was another thing, and Severus wasn't sure to want to play to this little game with Lucius and his friends.

Unable to sleep in this state of mind, Severus left his empty glass of water in the sink and went to his laboratory where he locked him up. His thoughts were overwhelming him, and he took some time to sit down and think about something else. Luckily, he was supposed to work on some potions to deliver to St. Mungo's hospital in a week. He drowned himself into his work, and it was enough for him to feel a little better.

**XxX**

Hermione woke up with something scratching her back. A finger... Oh, no, two fingers actually. She frowned in her sleep, not knowing if it was a dream or the reality. She let out a moan of frustration when the hand left her low back, and sighed when they came back. The young woman shuddered, pleased by the sensation that was taking possession of her whole body. Her silky tank was rolled-up over her stomach, and she took some time to feel the breath of Severus on her neck. When the hand of her former professor gently grabbed one of her breasts, she partly opened her mouth, breathing heavily. It wasn't suppose to be like that, she thought. It wasn't suppose to be that sensual. She was supposed to meet Kingsley Shacklebolt the day after, and here she was, laying on a bed, surrounded by the arms of the enemy – or so was thinking the Minister of Magic.

When Severus put his hands on her hips and stuck her against him, Hermione could feel his hard prick on her against her tights. She moaned loudly, aroused by the sensation, even if she wasn't completely woken.

"Do you want me, Hermione?," Severus breathed next to her ear, brushing her neck at the same time.

"I _need_ you...," she managed to whisper, while Severus' expert hand was finding a way between her legs to caress her clitoris.

Her eyes were still closed, and she didn't have to touch herself to know that she was wet already. Severus' finger entered her, and she pushed her back against his strong body, making him shudder at the sensation.

"Be careful, I would come in the second if you continue this...," Severus warned her, and Hermione stayed still, waiting for him to penetrate her. And he did, in a beautiful way.

The former Gryffindor opened her legs a little bit in order to give him space to enter her dripping core, and Hermione had to bury her head in her pillow not to cry. The sensation was unbelievable; she felt full by his hard cock, as if he was made for her. Severus began to move slowly, giving her time to adjust to his thick shaft, that was stretching her in the nicest way. She raised her head from the pillow, and her moans were louder than before. Instinctively, Severus put his hand over her mouth, urging her to be quiet. But it didn't stop her, far from it; her moans were smothered by the large hand of her husband, but she continued to scream of pleasure, no matter what.

Suddenly, Severus let go of her mouth to put his two hands on her hips, thrusting into her restlessly.

When he finally let go of her, they were both breathing heavily, exhausted by their morning lovemaking. It was the first time of their lives that they did such a thing, and Hermione didn't dare look at Severus. She just stared at the wall in front of her, waiting for him to say something, or to leave the room. She was surprised when she felt a mouth on her neck, kissing her gently.

"I'm sorry," he murmured to her ear, making her frown. She turned in order to meet his eyes, and she saw that he was trying to avoid her gaze.

"What are you sorry for?," she asked in a sleepy voice, her hand rested on his forearm.

"I was supposed to ask you for it... before trying anything. That was our deal, even if we never really talked about it; it was implied. I could not wait, and I apologise," he explained, his jaw clenched while he was putting his boxers back.

Hermione shook her head. "We are husband and wife. We didn't start on the right foot, I admit it, but... I guess that it's a part of a married couple life, isn't it?"

Severus took some time to think about it, but he eventually nodded. "You just have to know that I will never do something without your consent, Hermione."

She nodded in response, and rested her head on the pillow, looking at him while he was heading for the bathroom. Once alone, Hermione looked up at the ceiling, and took a last deep breath. Her meeting with Kingsley Shacklebolt came into her mind again, and she bit her lower lip. She couldn't believe that this man who had just made love to her was a traitor to the Ministry. She closed her eyes, and thought about the "information" that Kingsley wanted to share with her. It couldn't be that bad, could it? Moreover, she didn't know if she had to talk about this conversation that she had had with Severus about Calypso. Surely, it would be a bad thing for Severus.

When she heard the soothing sound of the water of the shower, she calmed down and tried to think of something better. The expert hands of her husband all over her body for example. She shook her head and sat on the edge of the bed, putting her panties back. She went to the windows and opened the curtains to let the light come in.

For some reason, she thought while going to the kitchen in order to prepare breakfast for two, she was feeling more and more confident with Severus. He hadn't talked further about her slip of tongue concerning Calypso Perkins, to her astonishment, and it was a reason enough for her to think that he wasn't a traitor, contrary to what Kingsley could think. She _wanted_ to believe it. Being his wife wasn't as unpleasant as it had been in the past, and she was feeling more and more comfortable about the fact of being called Mrs. Snape.

_Hermione Snape._


	13. Chapter 13

* * *

**Becoming One**

**Chapter 12**

* * *

"The Minister will receive you in a couple of minutes, Mrs. Snape," the young receptionist said to Hermione, who was sitting in a comfortable armchair.

"Thank you."

She had lied to Severus this morning, saying that she had to meet Harry and Ginny when it was obviously not the case. And now, while she was waiting for Kingsley Shacklebolt to receive her, she had the profound desire to go back home and to never come back in this office. The blue colour of the walls was enough to make her sick, and she couldn't help but remember every silly thing that the Minister of Magic had told her during the Order meeting. But at the same time, she thought, Kingsley had had nothing against Severus a month ago; he had just showed her a map with Severus' name on it, and it was all. As far as she was concerned, it wasn't a proof enough to say that her husband was guilty. His activities were suspicious, she couldn't deny it, no matter how hard she was trying to convince herself, but Severus Snape couldn't be a traitor. He had helped them in so many ways during all his years at Hogwarts despite what they once had thought about him, and it was a nonsense to think about him like a man corrupted by the Dark forces.

Suddenly, the door of the Minister's office opened, and the blonde woman at the reception gave her a nod, as a permission to enter into the room. Awkwardly, Hermione sat up and tidied up her clothes, before heading for the Minister of Magic's office. When she entered, she noticed that the room was large and comfortable, with many sofas arranged in the right corner of office. A desk, probably made of a heavy wood, was impressive in the centre of the room, and behind it, Kingsley was casually seat, his attention turned to a dozen of parchments spread on the desk. Hermione used these moments of inattention to continue her inspection, and her eyes caught the bright reflection of a chandelier, which seemed to be heavy enough not to be carry easily by a petite frame like hers. A magical Floo was at her right, and she wondered if this fireplace was more protected than the others; it had to be, she thought, it was the Minister of Magic's office after all.

The door closed magically in her back, shaking Kingsley Shacklebolt out of his torpor. When his dark look encountered Hermione's, his face lightened up with a bright smile, and he hurried to greet her properly.

"Hermione _Snape_ ," he simply said when he was close enough to take her into his large arms, "what a pleasure to welcome you in my office."

Uncomfortable, and definitely not used to such kind of greetings from Kingsley Shacklebolt, Hermione stayed still and gave him a curt nod in answer when he finally let go of her.

"I am pleased to see that you no longer see me as a traitor to the Order," Hermione retorted ironically, eliciting another smile from the Minister.

"Oh, my dear Hermione, I never thought such a thing about you, to be honest," he said while returning behind his desk. "But please, have a sit. We have a lot of things to discuss today."

"Really?," Hermione asked before taking two steps forward and sitting in the comfortable —and blue— armchair. "I prefer to say that you have a lot of things to say to me. It is more appropriate to the situation."

Kingsley put the parchments that he had been reading when she entered in his room aside, and rested his elbows on the wooden desk. His eyes were sparkling with a light that Hermione had never seen before, and she knew at this exact moment that what she was about to learn wouldn't please her. Like a man proud of his knowledge in front of an ignorant child, Kingsley sighed and shook his head at the same time. Still smiling, he took some seconds before speaking again.

"Hermione, Hermione... I can notice how tense you are, and I can assure you that you have no reason to act like this in my company. I am the Minister of Magic, and thus, I cannot do you any harm."

"It's exactly a sentence that Cornelius Fudge could have said a few years ago," Hermione said with a smirk.

She wasn't used to smirk to be honest, but she had grown to like this little sarcastic smile that Severus was fond of since so many years. She noticed that Kingsley pursed his lips when she mentioned the name of one of the previous Ministers of Magic; he didn't seem pleased to be compared to Fudge, or another person, for that matter.

"Anyway," Kingsley said to dismiss the subject, "I am not here to argue about the previous Ministers of Magic. I asked you to come to my office to talk about something more important, actually, or may I say about someone. Someone who you obviously know... _intimately_."

"Against my will, if you allow me the pleasure to give my opinion about it," Hermione muttered, her eyes fixed on Kingsley. If her eyes were made of daggers, Kingsley would have been a dead man for a long time.

"Of course, of course, I do not deny this obvious fact. Indeed, what kind of woman would want to become Severus Snape's wife of her own free will? An insane one, if you want my point of view. But I already gave you my reasons to promulgate this law, and I do not want to argue further about it since it is not the reason of you presence here. You see, Hermione, like I told you in my letter, I have some new information that I want -that I need- to share with you."

"And I guess that these precious information are about Severus."

"Exactly _,"_ Kingsley answered quickly. "You are really a clever witch, Hermione, and I am sure that you are eager to put your knowledge at the service of the Ministry."

Hermione raised an eyebrow, both of surprise and indignation.

"Excuse me?"

Kingsley laughed, out of nervousness it seemed, and he took a parchment in his black hands.

"Well, Hermione, I am sorry, I did not want to talk about it right now. Let me explain some things before. You see, my best Aurors are working on the case that I set out to the Order's members last time. You were there, and I am sure that you noticed how important this case is. That is the reason why a lot of Aurors are currently searching for clues, for proofs that _these people_ are up to something lately."

"They've got names, you know," Hermione retorted, her face unmoved.

"Please, Hermione... Are you so fond of your husband's name to want to hear it in my mouth once again?," Kingsley asked her, with no longer a hint of a smile on his face.

Hermione clenched her teeth and tried to breathe slowly. She knew that this meeting with the Minister of Magic wouldn't be easy to go through, but it was something to think about it, and it was another to live it. She didn't want to give him an impression of weakness, so she did her best to stay focused and calm.

"Not exactly, Minister," she said in a low voice. "To be honest, it would be better if we were not obliged to talk about Severus any longer."

"But I am afraid to say that it will not be possible. As I said before, he is the main reason of your presence in this office today. I've got some information about him that I am eager to share with you. Here, have a look."

Kingsley slide the parchment that was in his hand over his desk, and Hermione hesitated a second before bending over and taking it. Her movement was hesitant, as if she didn't want to have a look at the piece of paper, yellowed in places. Her eyes went from the beginning to the bottom of which seemed to be a letter, as she tried to recognise the writing of someone who she knew.

"It is a letter from Severus Snape, the same Severus Snape who is supposed to share your bed since the beginning of July," specified Kingsley. Hermione quickly looked up at him, highly irritated by his uncalled-for insinuations. Nevertheless, she didn't utter a single word, and she focused on the parchment that she was holding in her slightly shaking hands.

She tried her best to remember Severus' writing, but it was hard for her; as a teacher, Severus had never written so many things on her paperworks, and that was the reason why it was so hard for her to tell that it was his writing.

"Are you sure?," she heard herself say in a little voice.

"I am convinced that it is a letter from Severus Snape, sent to Lucius Malfoy. I am sure that you know who I am talking about."

"How did you...?," Hermione began, but was cut off by the Minister of Magic.

"One of my best-skilled Aurors intercepted this letter before it reached his addressee. Which means that Lucius Malfoy did not receive it, and it is quite a relief," Kingsley explained with a sigh.

Hermione frowned, and tried to focus to read the letter written by Severus.

" _Dear Lucius,_

_We need to hurry. Our respective marriages with two respectable women did not have the effects that we thought it would have. We need to join our forces to finish the task that the Dark Lord gave us before his death: the Ministry of Magic must be ours. We, ex-Death Eaters to the eyes of the stupid Ministry employees, must show the full level of our powers, as soon as possible. I know that you thought about a mass attack, but I am not sure that it is the best idea._

_Let us meet next week, at your place. I will fix a date as soon as possible,_

_Severus_ "

If her hands were slightly shaking a few moments before, now Hermione needed to put her hands on her knees to calm down. The parchment still in her hands, she looked down at it, not believing her eyes.

"It can't be possible," she muttered, her fingers clenched on the parchment.

"Of course it can. You see it yourself; Severus Snape is trying to overthrow the Ministry with his fellow Ex-Death Eaters friends," he said, emphasizing the prior status of Lucius Malfoy and Severus, as if it was a joke on itself.

"I beg your pardon, but I don't understand what his motives could be," Hermione said, trying to steady her voice as much as possible. She couldn't believe her eyes; Severus wasn't such a man, despite what had been said about him during years, despite the fact that he had been the one who had killed Dumbledore. Truth to be told, he had been the hand who had killed the prior Headmaster of Hogwarts, he hadn't been the one who had decided it.

Kingsley Shacklebolt chuckled slightly, amazed by Hermione's naïvety.

"You do not understand, really? Or maybe that you do not want to understand, since it is your husband that we are talking about. I get that it must be hard to finally see the true side of the man who you married, but you need to face the fact, my dear. Severus is a traitor to the Order, a traitor to the Ministry, and he is even a traitor to you."

Hermione reread the beginning of Severus' letter, and it seemed that a heavy burden had been thrown at her. _Our respective marriages with two respectable women did not have the effects that we thought it would have_. She tried to picture Severus saying this words, but, awkwardly enough, the image didn't appear in her mind, as if her brain itself didn't want to depict it.

She tried to think at the speed of light under the insistent gaze of the Minister of Magic, despite the pressure that she was feeling at this exact moment. Her whole world seemed to have been turned upside down in a matter of minutes, and, even she didn't want to believe it, the facts were right in front of her eyes.

Kingsley seemed to notice her confusion and tried to confuse her further.

"Yes," he went on, "a traitor to you too. You read it yourself, your marriage was just a way for him to get close to the Ministry."

"Just like choosing Severus was just a way for me not to be paired with a worse person than he is," Hermione snapped back.

"A worse person that Severus Snape?," Kingsley repeated with mad eyes. "How could you have been paired to a worse person than Severus Snape, pray tell? You have got all the evidences gathered, Hermione; Severus is a traitor."

"So why don't you just arrest him and throw him in Azkaban?," Hermione shouted out before putting the supposed letter back on the desk of the Minister. "Why don't you come to our house within minutes and arrest him, before doing the same with Lucius Malfoy? I really don't see nor understand what prevent you and the Aurors from doing such a thing," she concluded through clenched teeth.

Kingsley took back the parchment without even noticing the harsh tone that Hermione had taken to talk to him.

"I know that you are mad at me right now, and I can surely understand your reasons," he tried to calm her down, using this paternal tone that Hermione loathed so much, "but you cannot possibly think that the Ministry would do such a thing. An arrest must be prepared, and we did not gather as much evidences as we wanted in the first place. We just have this letter when it comes to a possible overthrow of the Ministry, and I am sure that you can understand that it is far from enough to arrest all the Death Eaters."

"But it is enough for you to say that Severus is a traitor."

"Of course it is. Isn't it enough for you?," Kingsley asked slowly.

Hermione continued to look straight at him, not intimidated at all by the Minister of Magic. However, she didn't answer to him, not wanting to say something that could be held against her. Of course, after reading this letter, and adding it to the conversation that she had had with Severus prior in the week, her husband was highly suspicious, even to her eyes. But she couldn't possibly say something like this to Kingsley who seemed to be more than paranoiac when it came to Severus. For this reason, she didn't utter a single word, but she'dnever thought that it was the worst idea that she'd ever had.

"Well, since you do not want to talk... Take a look at this," Kingsley said with a little smile that he tried to hide, without great success.

Frowning, Hermione bent over, almost reluctantly, to take the second parchment that the Minister was handing her. This one seemed to be more ancient than the first one, and she unfolded it carefully. Once again, she did her best to recognise the thin writing of her former Potions Master.

" _Dear Lucius,_

_It is legally done: Hermione and I consummated our marriage a few hours ago. She was a virgin, as you told me; a woman who wears ivory underclothes is obviously a virgin. It was not the best moment of my life, but she will do. I have to admit that her cries of pain were delightful to my ear, and I am sure that you would have been amazed to see her struggle with so much force underneath me._

_I shall try to take some pleasure from our physical enc_ _—..._ "

Hermione didn't even dare to finish the reading of the parchment; she quickly put it back onto the Minister's desk, before erasing the single tear of shame that was falling on her cheek. She tried to avoid looking at Kingsley, but she could feel his intense gaze on her.

"Please, Hermione, you have to read all of it," he insisted, but Hermione shook her head in response. Kingsley did his best to refrain a smirk, and he took back the parchment. "Well, I guess that I have to read it for you, then. Where did you stop, Hermione?"

Her firsts clenched, Hermione kept staring at her knees. She didn't want to give Kingsley the privilege to see her eyes full of shame, not now nor never. She heard him clear his throat, and she could only close her eyes when he went on.

"Mmh, let us just say that you did not read this part...

_'I shall try to take some pleasure from our physical encounters, it is the best that I can get from her. She was a brilliant student at school, and I know that she is a fast learner; within months, or weeks if I am lucky, she will be an amazing woman only made to please me. And if you are good enough, Lucius, I might even consider to share her with you, one day..._

_Take care,_

_Severus'_ "

The only sound that Hermione could hear was her breathing, fast and loud; it was the only way for her to hold back her tears. She was ashamed, more than ashamed. Her intimacy was summarised in this letter that was currently between the Minister of Magic's hands, and she was sure that the Aurors had read this parchment more than one time.

"Hermione."

The Minister's tone was soft, silky almost, and Hermione wiped another tear before looking up at him.

"What do you want from me?," she asked hoarsely, not waiting for him to talk any further. "Do you want me to spy on him? Did you humiliate me to make me realise what kind of bastard I married?"

Kingsley Shacklebolt sighed, and put his hands together, leaving the two parchments aside. "I did not want to humiliate you, Hermione. I showed you these letters to make you understand that Severus Snape is not a good person. He manipulates you since the beginning of your marriage, and I am sure that he began way before that day."

"But you are the one who forced me to go through this marriage, with this stupid law!," Hermione retorted loudly.

"I did not do such a thing, Hermione," Kingsley said quickly, visibly irritated by her attitude. "You were supposed to come to the Ministry if you had not found a husband, and we, the Order and the Ministry, were supposed to find you someone nice and respectable. Instead, you chose to marry Severus Snape, and I have no responsibility in this choice, no matter what you say."

The room went silent again. A few minutes had passed when Kingsley went on.

"We need your help, Hermione," he admitted in a soft voice. "We need every information that you could gather about Severus Snape, Lucius Malfoy and everyone else. You saw their names on the wall, but I prepared a document with the necessary information."

"I didn't accept, as far as I'm concerned," Hermione interrupted him.

"I know that you will. I know how clever you are, and I am sure that you do not want us to believe that you are a traitor to the Ministry... Or do you, Hermione?"

Her mind was in a sort of blur, and Hermione couldn't think properly. She knew how wrong it was to spy on someone, especially her husband, even after having read these infect letters. Quickly, she got up from the blue armchair, and Kingsley did the same.

"Where are you going, Hermione?"

"I need to... I got to get out of here," she whispered before heading to the door.

"I need an answer!" Kingsley's voice erupted behind her back.

Her hand on the handle of the door, Hermione turned to meet Kingsley's furious look.

"The Minister of Magic demands an answer, Mrs. Snape," he repeated icily, and Hermione had a hard time recognising him. She opened the door and was about to disappear from his vision when she spoke for the last time.

"I'll send you an owl, _Minister_."

The last thing that she heard before closing the door behind her was a roar of frustration and anger; a second later, she was running in the Ministry's corridors, as if the devil himself was after her.

**XxX**

Her ears were buzzing when she Appeared in front of the flat that she was sharing with Severus. Her hands were shaking so much that Hermione had a hard time to open the door. When she finally managed to do it, she swiftly closed the door behind her and let her fall on the wooden floor of the hallway, closing her eyes at the same time. She was tired, mentally tired by this meeting with the Minister of Magic, and she tried to clear her head to think properly. It was hard to do, though. The letters that she had read, as well as the part that Kingsley had read against her will, the things that the Minister had told and asked her, everything was spinning in her head.

The hardest thing to swallow was what Severus had said about their marriage, even if she should have been more worried about his supposed plan to overthrow the Ministry to be honest. She knew that Severus hadn't asked her to marry him out of love, far from it, and she couldn't blame it for it since she had accepted to become his wife just because she knew him. Moreover, she had trusted him at the time, and it was still the case until now.

_Until now_...

"Mrs. Snape?"

Hermione quickly looked up and met the big eyes of Gretchen, the house-elf. She tried to smile, but she was sure that she had just managed to purse her mouth in a weird way.

"Yes, Gretchen?"

"Do Mrs. Snape need Gretchen help to get up?"

"Oh, no, thank you," Hermione answered while shaking her head. "I can stand up, don't you worry about it. Is Mr. Snape at home?," she asked before standing up in a quick movement.

"He is in the laboratory, but he said to Gretchen that he is going out this afternoon."

"Thank you, Gretchen. I'm going to my room now."

With that said, Hermione went to her bedroom, the one that she shared with Severus. When she was about to get rid of her shoes and sat on the bed, her eyes stopped onto the desk that Severus had installed next to the window. She was used to sit there to write down her notes about potions or spells that she needed to know for the upcoming year, and it was also the desk that Severus used to write his own letters. Suddenly, she thought that maybe, just maybe, there was a possibility to find an abandoned letter that he hadn't finished.

Hermione looked behind her to make sure that she was alone, and went to the desk. A few parchments were scattered on it, and Hermione noticed her own parchments in the right corner. At the centre of the desk, though, she saw some parchments without her own writing on it, but she quickly noticed that there were letters from Minerva McGonagall, mainly. Frowning, Hermione tried to look at the other parchments that were under the letters of the new Headmistress of Hogwarts, without even looking at them any further. When her hand entered in contact with a parchment full of a thin writing that she thought she had already seen before, she heard someone clear his throat behind her.

Hermione jumped like a child caught in the act, and swiftly turned to meet Severus' dark gaze. He was standing in the doorway, and Hermione rested her hands on the desk, not knowing what to do.

"What are you doing here, Hermione?," he asked, and Hermione could notice the suspicious tone of his voice.

"I was... I was looking for a piece of paper. I wanted to write something, a letter, actually," she stammered, searching for the good words at the same time.

Severus went toward her, and Hermione froze when he stopped a few inches from her face. She swallowed hard, wondering what he was about to do. Severus then bent over a little, searching for something on the desk, and entering in contact with her body while doing so.

"Here," he whispered next to her ear, handing her a blank piece of parchment. Hermione took it, and shivered slightly when she felt his breath on her. The words that Kingsley had said earlier were screaming in her head, and it was almost impossible for her not to think about it. A part of her wanted to disregard these words, wanted to act like she hadn't heard these things, like she hadn't read these words written by her husband, but she just couldn't.

"Thank you," she managed to answer, before trying to get free from his involuntary embrace. To her great despair, Severus didn't seem to want to free her, and he pushed her further against the wooden desk. Hermione let out a little sight, not wanting to look straight at him. She was so disturbed to know that he was that close, that his body was against her in such an intimate way...

"You came home early," Severus said, before letting his right hand caressing her waist.

"It wasn't as long as I thought it would be," Hermione muttered and had to force herself not to close her eyes when she felt Severus' hand on her body. As if he noticed that she was reluctant to let herself go, Severus raised his other hand to her face and gently caressed her cheek. Hermione recognised from his gestures, from his gentleness that he needed something. _He needed her_... sexually.

She gathered all the forces that she had left to push him backward, and headed to the bedroom's door, but Severus grabbed her by the arm before she reached her goal.

"What is wrong with you?," Severus asked, surprised by her attitude.

"Let go of me, Severus," she muttered, avoiding his gaze once again.

"Why are you acting this way?," he insisted, and took her chin between his slender fingers to urge her to look at him. Without a way out, Hermione had to look at him, and she was sure that Severus could see all her fear in her eyes.

In the past, she sometimes had been afraid of him; during her first time with him, then when Severus had lost his temper around her. But never, oh never, had he seen her that afraid of him. Frowning, he let go of her arm, but, surprisingly enough, Hermione didn't move, even when she noticed that she was free. Instead, she continued to stare at him, letting him see how lost she was at this exact moment.

"What happened, Hermione?," he muttered, perfectly sure that _something had happened_.

Hermione bit the inside of her cheek, almost until she bled. Then, she spoke, and she surprised herself with her own words.

"We need to talk, Severus."

* * *


	14. Chapter 13

**Becoming One**

**Chapter 13**

* * *

When Hermione sat on the edge of their bed, Severus didn't move. He just looked at her, as if it would be enough to understand what his wife wanted to say to him. " _We need to talk, Severus._ " Her little voice, full of fear, had made him shudder, and even if they were in the end of August, he had felt like a cold had taken possession of his whole body. Even the thick fabric of his wizard robe wasn't enough any more to keep him from this awkward sensation.

Hermione was looking at her knees, and Severus noticed that her hands were slightly shaking. She joined them in a movement of protection before taking a deep breath, loud enough to be heard by her husband. During some long minutes, Severus thought about talking to her, asking her what was wrong. But at the same time, he was afraid by her answer. And what if _he was the problem_? It was most certainly the truth, he thought, otherwise she wouldn't have said that she needed to talk to him. He quickly checked in his memories what his wife was supposed to do this morning, and he remembered that she had talked about some meeting with Potter before leaving earlier. The Potions Master frowned, but this quick movement of eyebrows wasn't noticed by the young woman with the bended head. She seemed to be lost in her thoughts, lost in what she wanted to tell him.

"Talk to me," Severus eventually whispered, and Hermione's only reaction was to jump a little.

Her eyes were wide open, focused on her little hands, and she didn't want to look up. Meeting Severus' eyes was something that she was scared of, after all that she had learned about him. The tall, slender man who was next to her seemed to be a stranger to her eyes. But during the inspection of her joined hands, her eyes met the brilliant diamond of her engagement ring, next to her wedding ring, which was a simple band of gold. Severus was not a stranger, no; he was her husband. They were supposed to trust each other, they were supposed to help each other, in the good and in the bad. They hadn't really said these words during their vows, by common consent, but what they had said wasn't that far; they had both vowed to take care of each other during their marriage.

But what was she supposed to say to him? Even if she didn't want to believe it, she couldn't help but think that her husband had been a spy once; why couldn't he still be a spy?

_Because he's a good man_ , her little inner voice whispered in her ear, and she truly wanted to believe it; she truly wanted to believe that these letters weren't true, that there was an explanation behind every word that Severus was suspected to have written.

Slowly, she managed to raise her chin in order to meet the dark eyes of the Potions Master. She saw him frown, and noticed the hint of fear that he was trying to hide as much as possible. Of course, she thought, she had said that she needed to talk to him; every body would have been afraid after a sentence like that. Every one, including the tall and imposing Severus Snape. Under the dark fabric of his robe, Hermione was almost sure that she was able to see him breathe; his breath was slow, a sign of complete control on his part. Years of spying had helped him not to show his feelings, and Hermione was almost disappointed by this fact. It would have been easier for her to notice a physical sign of what he truly thought; only a frown was noticeable.

"Who are you?"

Hermione had almost asked this question like a declaration, not taking care to use an interrogative tone. This hour spent into the Minister of Magic's office had been a real pain, and all that she wanted was to hide from everyone for a long time. But it was something that Severus had denied her.

When this question reached Severus' ears, he tried to stay calm and steady. Who was he? Her husband, of course; a former professor who had taught her everything that she needed to know; a spy, obviously. Hermione knew all these things, so why did she ask this question? He decided to say the most obvious thing.

"I am Severus Snape. Your husband."

Hermione nodded, acting like this answer was the right one. Severus waited for her to answer, waited for her to give him a sign of where these discussion was heading to. But Hermione was still searching for her words, the right words.

"You are," she finally said. "We are husband and wife, and we are supposed not to hide anything from each other. Even if we didn't vow this, it is our duty."

"Of course, it is," Severus answered in a breath. "Then tell me what is going on, Hermione."

Hermione bit her lower lip, feeling as if she had been tricked by her own words. Severus was the one who was supposed to explain himself, not her. She swallowed hard, noticing that her throat had been dry since a long time. There was only one question, one fundamental question that was spinning into her head, and Hermione finally had the courage to ask it to Severus.

"Why did you marry me?"

These five words had been uttered eyes in eyes, and Hermione saw that Severus did his best not to blink. Eventually, he blinked twice, and raised a surprise eyebrow.

"Why are you asking me this sort of questions? I think that I was clear enough when I asked you to marry me in the first place."

"I thought too," Hermione quickly retorted, taking more and more confidence in front of her husband. "I thought that you just wanted to help me, the same way that I wanted to help you."

"It is not true, and you know it as much as I do. You wanted to find a way out, and I was your only chance left; the same applies to me. I wanted to save myself from this law, and you were the best choice."

"Don't lie to me."

Hermione's voice had been harsh, and Severus froze. What had she learned about him during this morning? When she had said that she needed to go and meet Potter, the Potions Master had felt that something wasn't normal. Hermione's expression, her elusive look; nothing had been normal. However, he had tried to rationalize his fear and he had spent the morning in his laboratory; it had always been his only way to clear his head when things weren't as he wanted them to be.

"I am not lying to you," he said after some seconds.

Hermione shook her head, desperate by this answer. "You are lying to me right now, right in front of my face. You had another motive to marry me, and I ask to know _now_."

"Why do you want me to say it when you obviously seem to know what my _real_ motive was?," Severus retorted all of a sudden. "I am too old to play to a cat-and-mouse game with you, Hermione, so could you please stop this nonsense and talk to me like a grown-up?"

Hermione felt her jaw clench, not liking to be treated like a child; she wasn't one any more, and being sitting on this bed was a physical sign of her inferiority to her husband. Quickly, she got up and took a step toward Severus, noticing how tall he was next to her.

"I was your cover."

No answer came from Severus Snape's mouth. Not a single word. He just stared at her, his obsidian eyes trying to look at her soul, deep inside. His expression was undecipherable, and Hermione wasn't even able to notice a change in his breath; he seemed to be perfectly calm.

"Who told you this?," he finally asked in a whisper in a neutral voice.

"It doesn't matter," Hermione said. "What matters is that you played with me all along."

"I did not play with you."

"You didn't deny the fact that I was your cover, that you married me because I was in the right place and you weren't."

"I have my reason," Severus admitted, eventually.

It was the answer that Hermione had needed but had feared at the same time; it was the moment when Severus admitted that Kingsley Shacklebolt hadn't been wrong, that her marriage had just been a play for him. Not that she had married him because she loved him, of course, but their motives had been different from the beginning, and hearing it from her husband's mouth wasn't easy to swallow.

Hermione tried to connect the dots, the little hints that Severus had left during these almost two months spent together, but her brain didn't want to do the job. She had to close her eyes and to take a deep breath in front of him not to fall. Severus seemed to notice her feeling of faintness, because he took her by the left arm in a second.

"Are you okay?," he asked in a concerned voice.

"Don't touch me, not now," she murmured, and was relieved when he let go of her. The last thing that she wanted at this exact moment was to feel him, to touch him. She felt betrayed by him, in every possible way. During weeks, she had defended him against every one; Kingsley, the Weasleys, even Harry. All of them had reproached something to Severus, one way or another. And all these times, she, his dear wife, had told them what a good man he was, she had told them that he was on their side. And during all this time, all of this had been a lie.

"I can explain everyting, Hermione," Severus said, without a hint of shame in his voice.

"Oh, can you? I am listening, Severus. Can you explain why you lied to me in the first place? Can you explain what are your plans with Lucius Malfoy?"

Hermione wanted to say more, but she noticed Severus' expression when he heard the name of the ex-Death Eater. He seemed to be shocked to hear such a thing coming from her mouth, and Hermione knew that she had said something important.

"Does this name ring a bell? It seems that it does," she added while Severus stayed silent.

"What do you know about it?," he asked, not wanting to say too much before knowing what she truly knew. But Hermione shook her head, amazed by his nerve.

"What do _I_ know about it? I don't think that it's the most important; what is really important is the truth, and I need you to tell me the truth once for all, Severus. I can't stay in the dark, married to you, with no way to leave this completely false union. I am your wife, and as your wife, I demand the truth from you," Hermione concluded in a whisper. "I'm tired by this situation, Severus. All that I want is the truth. I can't promise you that I'll understand, but I'll do my best."

Of course, Hermione then thought, Severus couldn't be aware of what she had done in the past to defend him; he couldn't be aware of what she had said to Kingsley about him. All of these little things would have helped him to understand that he could trust her; but at the same time, it was too risky to say him these things if he was truly a spy as the Minister of Magic had told her. For once, her husband was the one who needed to believe in her.

Slowly, Hermione noticed that Severus was less and less on his guard, as if he was trying to let a door open. She didn't ply him with questions, knowing that it would not help her. She just waited for him to open himself to her, and he finally did.

"Come with me in the living room," he said. "We really need to talk."

**XxX**

Tea. Whenever Severus wanted to say something important to someone, he would serve them a cup of tea. He didn't really know where or when did he find this habit. But he just thought one day that a cup of tea was important. Every kind of tea was good to drink when it comes to these moments; the most important thing was to drink something hot.

Hermione had refused a cup of Darjeeling minutes prior, but she had finally accepted when she had seen how important it seemed to be for Severus. For the first time, Severus had prepared the tea himself, not wanting Gretchen to be around. He had even gone as far as giving a free afternoon to the little elf. Gretchen had said that she didn't know what to do, so Severus had asked her to go and buy some potions ingredients for him.

When Severus came back with two cup of tea and a teapot half-full with the hot and brown beverage, Hermione was in the armchair, her eyes focused on him.

"If your eyes were made of fire...," Severus began in his deep baritone voice.

"You'd be burned at this exact moment," Hermione finished his sentence while Severus gave her a cup of tea. He smiled, amused by her reaction, even if the moment wasn't the best one to smile.

Hermione didn't sip the hot beverage right away; she was eager to hear Severus' story, and the tea was to hot to be drunk anyway. She looked at him intensely while he sat into his favourite armchair, waiting for him to say something, to say the things that she wanted to hear since a long time. Truth to be told, she had tought about this moment many times in the past. She had waited for the perfect moment when Severus would say to her every little secret that he had hidden during all this time, every little thing that was so important to her eyes.

"Do you trust me?," she asked when she understood that he was waiting for her to say something.

"I trust you enough to share this story with you," Severus answered, and Hermione seemed to be relieved. "What do you want to know?"

"Everything you want to tell me."

Severus hesitated for a second, but he eventually nodded. "The first that you need to know, Hermione, is that I put my trust in you. You are a brilliant and clever witch, and I am sure that you understand that what I am about to share with you needs to stay between us."

Hermione pursed her lips, wondering if these secrets were that bad not to be shared. "I know, and I don't plan to say them to anyone, if you want to be reassured."

"I did not expect less from you. I shall begin by... the beginning if you are okay with it."

"I'm listening."

"When I came to the Burrow to ask you to marry me, I had a plan, to be honest.," he began slowly. "I thought about you because you were close to Potter, because you were a respectable woman. You saved the Wizarding World, truth to be told. Who am I next to the woman who saved everyone?"

"You saved Harry, too," Hermione interrupted him.

"And who knows that? You do, Harry Potter do; not every wizard believes in that story, unfortunately." Severus took a first sip of tea, encouraging her to do the same. Then, he continued his story. "I knew that a good reputation would be hard to get, after all this time with this Death Eater reputation. I knew that a lot of people would have loved to see me dead, as if the dark part of our history would have died with me. I knew all of these things, back in time. You were my salvation, Hermione, the key to my redemption. I am not going to lie to you any further; it was an idea of Lucius Malfoy, Draco Malfoy's father. He thought about it after having saving me in the Shrieking Shack."

"What?," Hermione couldn't help but say it out loud, eliciting a smirk from her husband at the same time.

"He saved me, your heard me well the first time. He came when I was weak and almost dead. He was with Narcissa and Draco, and they helped me to recover at their place, Malfoy's Manor. During two weeks, Narcissa and him nursed my wounds, helped me to recover. I owe them my life, Hermione, and it is something that you have to understand; I owe them everything. Without them, I would not be here, in front of you.

"When I came to you, I was better, much better than during Hogwart's battle. My health was improving, and I was almost cured from Nagini's bite. Narcissa and Lucius had decided to divorce a few days prior, and both Lucius and I were supposed to find a wife."

"Why did they divorce? It doesn't make any sense."

"You have to keep in mind that Narcissa is a Black; being a Malfoy is hard to live, but living with a Black is even worse, knowing what Bellatrix did in the past for example. The power of someone's name should not be minimized in the Wizarding World, Hermione."

Another sip of tea was drunk from both side, and Severus continued his story. "I found you; Ronald Weasley had left you, and you were alone, searching for a husband. I just had to step in, and a few weeks after, we were married. So this is the truth: I married you to help my rehabilitation. Lucius Malfoy married Calypso Perkins because he wanted to find someone close to the Ministry. Surely, you are asking yourself "why someone from the Ministry?". Here is the answer; Lucius wanted to help his rehabilitation, of course, and being close to someone who could interfere into his case was highly profitable, one way or another."

"Why didn't you wait to be rehabilitated? Why did you do all these things?," Hermione eventually asked.

"As I said before, it was Lucius' idea. I do not want to charge him, but it is the truth. He just needed my help, and I owed him. I still owe him, to be honest," Severus added in a dark voice.

Hermione looked straight at him, and deep in her heart, she knew that she could trust him, at least for this time. It all made sense, even if it wasn't the best plan that she had ever heard of. Severus had opened himself to her, and she knew that she had to do the same at this exact moment, no matter what the consequences were.

"The Ministry knows," she simply said, her eyes still searching for Severus' gaze. The latter gave her a surprised look, urging her to continue her story.

"What does they know?"

"Everything. I... I was with Kingsley Shacklebolt this morning," she admitted in a breath, before putting her tea cup onto the coffee table. "He showed me some of your letters, Severus."

Severus frowned, and put his cup of tea back onto the coffee table too. "What letters?"

Hermione swallowed hard, suddenly uncomfortable. "Two of them, actually. The first one was weird, to say the least. You were talking about a possible overthrow of the Ministry with Lucius..."

"This is totally insane!," Severus snapped, interrupting Hermione at the same time. The young woman was pleased by his reaction; he was supposed to tell her the truth, and seeing him reacting this way to this supposed letter was the sign that she needed to know that he never wrote something like this. "Was it my writing?"

"I don't know, to be honest, I... I don't really remember what your writing look like," Hermione blushed.

Severus raised an eyebrow, and, without a word, he got up to take a piece of parchment and a quill. Seconds later, he handed her the parchment, and Hermione read the few words that her husband had written.

_Thank your for trusting me._

She gave him a weak smile before putting the parchment back onto the table. It was the same thin writting that she had read back into the Minister of Magic's office.

"Well, even if I am touched by your message, I have to say that the writing matches."

"It is impossible," Severus retorted through clenched teeth. "I have never written such a thing."

"I trust you," Hermione quickly added.

"Why?"

"I don't know... I just think that it's the best that I can do," she whispered. "You trusted me enough to share these things with me, and I know that you didn't lie to me. The least that I can do is to trust you on this one too."

Severus looked right at her, without uttering a single word. He was pleased to see that her wife, this amazing woman who he had learned to know during these two months, put so much faith in him, even if she had no reason to do so.

"What about the second letter, then?"

"I... Well... Let's say that it was pretty much the same."

At her strange expression, Severus knew that the second letter was far from being _pretty much the same_. Even if he wasn't sure that he would be pleased by her answer this time, he tried to push her further.

"Do not lie to me, Hermione, please. Not after all that we have just shared."

The Potions Master saw her swallow hard, and join her hands like she used to when she is stressed by something. After a sigh, she eventually told him about the content of the second letter.

"You we-... This letter was about our wedding night," Hermione quickly said before blushing.

"And what did _I_ say?"

"Not so good things," she muttered. "I don't want to say these things out loud, I'm sorry."

For the first time of the morning, Hermione couldn't meet his gaze, and Severus knew that it was a bad idea to insist. If there was something that he had learned during the nights spent with her, it was that Hermione wasn't really confident with her body, even if she was more and more admirable in a bed.

"Alright then," Severus finally said. "What do you plan to do?"

"I beg your pardon?"

"I suppose that the Minister of Magic did not just give you these false informations."

Hermione shook her head. "He asked me to spy on you."

"Will you?"

Hermione looked up at him, frowning. "I have no intention to do such a thing. I just told you that I believe you, Severus. I am your wife, and..."

She cut short when she saw him get up from his armchair and walk toward her. Gently, he gave her his hand, and Hermione grabbed it in order to stand up too. When she finally was on her feet, she raised her chin to meet his obsidian eyes, these eyes that she had learned to love with the time. During her years at Hogwarts, it had been hard for her to see more than an ocean of disdain into these eyes dark as the night. But now, she was seeing so much more things into these eyes; they were still cold as night sometimes, but they were more and more warm when he looked at her.

Severus caressed her right cheek with his slender fingers, before bending over to put a kiss on her soft lips. It wasn't a kiss full of passion like he used to give her when they were about to make love; it had the taste of respect and gratitude. When he finally let go of her, he said these words that he had wrote in a piece of parchment before, without being able to say them out loud.

"Thank you for trusting me," he muttered close to her lips before kissing them once again.

* * *


	15. Chapter 14

**Becoming One**

**Chapter 14**

* * *

When Hermione woke up, she frowned. An arm was around her waist, and when she turned around, she saw the peaceful face of her husband a few inches from her own face. He seemed, for the first time of their wedding, to be calm, even during his sleep.

They had talked all the afternoon, and their discussion had continued during the night. Hermione had shared her fears, she had asked Severus about what he planned to do about Lucius Malfoy. Several times, she had thought that he wouldn't have answered to her many questions, but in the end, Severus had always been sincere. She had learned all about his discussions with Severus, and he had even gone so far than saying her about the last letter that he had received.

"What does he mean by "I am not sure that this is enough anymore"?," Hermione had asked while stirring her umpteenth tea of the day.

"Only Lucius knows. But I have a bad feeling about this whole situation, if you want my opinion. I know how extreme Lucius can be sometimes..."

"You don't trust him anymore," Hermione had said.

Severus had looked at her, waiting a few seconds before shaking his head slowly.

"I don't," he just answered.

"But he saved you...," Hermione retorted. She wanted to know why Severus had changed his mind so quickly about his old friend who seemed to have been his saviour several months prior.

"And I cannot thank him enough for this, really. But I cannot live the last years that I have got left with this constant reminder of to whom I owe my life."

"He is going to hate you."

"So be it," Severus had snapped. "I told you that I did not know what he was talking about in his last letter, but I think that he is up to no good. Right after he saved me, Lucius told me that he wanted to take advantage of the political disturbances to try to rule the Wizarding World, like the Dark Lord would have done if he was still alive. He had soon forgotten about this plan, since Kingsley Shackelbolt became the Minister of Magic. But trust me," he had added in a lower voice, "I am sure that he never really forgot this insane plan."

**XxX**

_**A week later** _

"Where is he?"

Like a whip, Lucius Malfoy's voice resonated into the whole room. Mulciber gave him a surprise look, not knowing whom he was talking about. It was the first time that Lucius Malfoy had summoned all of them at _his place_. Usually, since they had lived together right after the War, seeing each other wasn't a problem. Mulciber then turned his attention to the fifteen other Death Eaters who were currently sitting next to him. He let out a snigger, loud enough to be heard by every one. He had always thought that these fifteen other Death Eaters were ones of the worst ones; stupid, just good enough to let others control them. The only one –except Lucius Malfoy of course, otherwise he wouldn't have been here in the first place– that he had respect for was Severus Snape, and this was still true even if the latter seemed to be more and more distant with time passing by.

"Who are you talking about?," Mulciber drawled, his dark hair falling in front of his slender face while he bent over to take his glass of fire whiskey.

"Severus, for Merlin's sake!," Lucius shouted back, pacing the room at the same time. "I sent him several owls, and none of them returned to me. I am quite confident that he received them. So why isn't he here?"

"Maybe that he had some troubles with his wife," Macnair tried in an unassured voice. Despite the fact that he was taller and bigger than everyone in this room, Macnair was a follower; he had always been to Mulciber's eyes. His lack of intelligence was surely one of the reasons of his insecurity. Mulciber rolled his eyes; if Lucius wanted to overthrow the Ministry like he had told him twenty minutes prior when he had entered into his house, it was a bad idea to try to do something like this with _these people_. The only one that could help them properly was Severus, and he didn't have to be the cleverest man to understand it.

"His wife is not supposed to be a problem," Lucius growled. "Severus has never been late..."

"Until now," Mulciber retorted, a laugh in his voice. "Look, Lucius, I know that you wanted to talk to us about this project of yours, but if Severus is not here...," he began, not bothering to finish his sentence, preferring to drink a sip of alcohol instead.

"What game is he playing at?," the blonde wizard asked, mostly to himself.

"I guess that he's got other things to do. And, in all honesty, I also need to be somewhere else at this moment. So if you ca–..."

"Sit down, Mulciber. Sit down," Lucius whispered slowly, looking right into his friend's eyes. "If Severus is not here, it is not our business; it is his. He will be the one without these precious information that I've gathered during these last days, not you."

"But the plan..."

"Was to be here at the proper hour, end of the story. Now, let me introduce you to the plan that I've thought about..."

**XxX**

His black coffee cup in hand, Severus let his gaze wandered to his wife. Her hair was up, revealing the thin features of her pale face. He noticed that she hadn't even taken a bite of her croissant and cleared his throat to catch her attention. She looked up at him, a question in the bottom of her chestnut eyes.

"Are you stressed?," he asked her, almost wanting to take her right hand in his.

"Why should I?"

"You should not. But I guess that seeing Eterna Perkins again is not the thing that you wanted to do today."

"She's not the monster that you think she is. She was perfectly friendly toward me."

"Toward _you_."

Hermione remained silent, even if she wanted to contradict her husband. No, Eterna Perkins had been completely friendly toward the both of them; of course, she had been even more friendly with her, and Hermione was sure that it was because of her condition, not because of the fact that she had had to marry a man such as Severus Snape. Moreover, the former Gryffindor wouldn't have let the Healer treat her with pity in the bottom of her eyes; being married to Severus Snape wasn't that bad after all.

While she was still lost in her thoughts, an owl entered into the open window of the dining room, and settled into the wooden table, its amber eyes focused on Severus. The latter, with a frown on his face, took the parchment that was attached to the bird leg, patting its head at the same time. Hermione continued to look at Severus, wondering whom was the sender of this missive. The owl left the house, deploying its large wings before planning with some grace.

"Is it important?," she asked, trying to hide the curiosity into her voice. During days, Severus had received several owls, but he hadn't even bothered opening them. But for the first time, he seemed to be decided to read this one.

"We shall know it in a minute or so," Severus answered with a glance at her. He unfolded the parchment and read it quickly, his eyes wandering from one side of the letter to the other at the speed of light. Then, with a heavy sigh, he put the letter down onto the dining table. _Bad news_ , Hermione thought, her mouth closed.

"Whom is it from?"

"You can read it, Hermione, I have nothing to hide from you."

Slowly, she bent over and took the thick parchment between her fingers, eager to know what was it about.

" _Severus,_

_I waited for you yesterday; we all waited for you. I do not have to say that I am not pleased by your attitude, I think. This is your last chance: meet us today, at my place. 9 o'clock it is; and do not forget your wand._

_Lucius_ "

"I do not plan to go, if you want to know everything," Severus said when he noticed that she had finished her reading."

"I know," she just muttered back, relieved to hear these words though. "But what are you going to do? I mean... he doesn't seem to be pleased by your absence. Merlin knows what he is capable of..."

Severus didn't answer right away. Of course, Lucius wouldn't be pleased to notice that he had no intention to go to his house. He also knew that if Lucius and his former friends wanted to do something about the Ministry and failed, Severus' name would be dragged into this complete mess; and the last thing that the Potions Master wanted was to pull Hermione into his own grave.

"I am completely capable of dealing with Lucius Malfoy, do not worry about it. For now," he continued, "you just have to focus on your upcoming meeting with Mrs. Perkins. Did you take your potion this week?"

"I did," she dismissed with a wave of her hand. "But Malf–"

"... Is not your problem, Hermione," Severus insisted. "I told you that I can deal with him. Trust me, it is the only thing that I am asking you to do. This, and to deal with Mrs. Perkins without me," he added with a shadow of a smile upon his face. "Do you think that you are capable of going alone at the Ministry today, or do you need me to come with you?"

Hermione shook her head. "No, it will be fine. Just... do what you need to do. I'll see you tonight."

Then, the former Gryffindor left the dining room and headed to her bedroom in order to get ready before going to the Ministry. For a second, Hermione had thought about kissing Severus before leaving him, but she had changed her mind a second later; it was a bad idea, for sure. _Like it had been a bad idea to fall for him in the first place_ , her inner voice whispered into her head.

"Don't be so stupid, Hermione," she grumbled before locking herself into the bathroom. Of course not, she was not in love with Severus, _she was not in love with her husband_. She cared for him, of course, like two people who lived together care for each other. Living under the same roof for more than two months had helped them to discover more about the other, and the last week had totally changed their relationship. While they used to look at each other with so little faith into their eyes, everything had changed since their discussion, a week prior. Since then, they tried to believe each other, to put aside their reluctances and to see the other as an equal. No word of love had been pronounced, of course, since she was obviously not in love with him, and Severus was certainly not in love with her. He just trusted her enough to share a whole lot more of things with her, and Hermione was thankful for that. Seeing that his face was more peaceful when she was around helped her to do the same with him, and she was pleased to sleep with him these days. More than pleased, actually, she thought while glamouring the dark bruises on her forearms. They were almost invisible at this time of the day, thanks to the powerful spell that she used everyday, but Hermione wanted to be sure that they wouldn't show up later in the afternoon.

When she left the bathroom, Severus was already locked into his laboratory, like he used to. Hermione then left their flat, heading to the Ministry of Magic, without having the occasion to say him goodbye.

**XxX**

The Ministry wasn't full of wizards on this bright day of the end of August. Hermione thought that all of the wizards and witches eligible for the Marriage Law had already got married; it was a reason enough for not seeing a lot of people on the 3rd floor of the Ministry Headquarters.

The young woman thought about knocking before entering this time, remembering the fact that Severus hadn't done it the first time they had arrived into the Familial Affairs Department office. The door opened itself a few seconds after, giving her some space to enter into the room. A secretary was now at the front desk, and Hermione went to introduce herself.

"Hi, I'm Hermione Snape. I've got a meeting with Healer Eterna Perkins today," she let the blonde secretary know with a smile.

"Healer Perkins is available right now, you just have to follow this corridor. Third door at your right."

Hermione thanked her, and soon enough, she was face to with with Eterna Perkins who greeted her with her usual smile.

"It's a pleasure to have you here, Hermione. Please, come in."

Hermione entered into the Healer office, noticing that it wasn't the cold and white room that she had been in during her first check-up; this office was warm, with its beige walls and the paintings hung at them. It was smaller than the first one, though, but it was large enough not to feel oppressed.

"I guess that you've already noticed my change of office," Eterna said before sitting behind her wooden desk. "It was my idea, actually: the first office was not so comfortable in my opinion."

"And I agree," Hermione added.

Eterna took a pile of parchments on her right hand, and put them right in front of her, not taking care to read them.

"Well, Hermione... This meeting wasn't planned, but I'll take advantage of this moment alone with you to ask you some questions that I didn't want to ask in front of your husband."

"Why didn't you?"

Eterna shrugged and took a deep breath. "You know, some things are quite... personal for a woman, so I guess..."

"I've got nothing to hide to my husband," Hermione retorted, even if she knew that it wasn't perfectly true; she had things to hide to Severus, but it was in the past, just before their discussion the week prior.

"Oh, come on," Eterna let out in a little laugh, "I'm sure that you've got some secrets on your own; we all have. I've got some secrets too, things that my husband didn't even know about."

"Your husband?"

"My husband," the Healer repeated. "I know," she continued while gazing at her left hand, "I don't wear a wedding ring. I don't think that it's necessary when I'm working. To be honest, I highly doubt that it would be a good idea to wear it when I'm working here."

"Why not?," Hermione asked. "You're in contact with married people, after all."

"Yes, and there is the problem," Eterna answered with a wink. "Not all of the persons that I follow married each other for the good reasons. You are well aware of this fact, Hermione."

The former Gryffindor nodded, knowing that the Healer had understood that her marriage with Severus Snape hadn't been made of love in the first place. Why hiding something so obvious? Living with her husband hadn't been that pleasant at the beginning of their marriage, and it wasn't a shame to admit it.

"Anyway," Eterna continued, "it's not really the reason why I wanted to see you today. If I remember well, I casted a spell two weeks ago, and I saw that you were under a contraceptive potion."

"I was, yes. But I have to say that it is not the case anymore; it was a mistake, really, I thought that I drank a potion for a headache, but it wasn't one obviously," Hermione said quickly, a little smile on her face. "You can check it again if you want."

"I'll do in a few minutes, if you don't mind. I'm pleased to hear that it was just a mistake, Hermione. Not that I am eager to learn that you're pregnant, not at all. It is just that the Ministry isn't really nice when it comes to contraceptive potion these days."

"I got it a long time ago, thanks. But I've got a question, Mrs. Perkins."

"Call me Eterna, please. I'm not that old, you know."

"Well, _Eterna_... You told me that you're a married woman, but..."

"I married my husband a long time ago," the Healer cut her off. "It wasn't a marriage of convenience, if you want to know everything."

"I'm glad to hear it. But do you have to be pregnant too?"

A little veil fell before Eterna Perkins' eyes, and Hermione knew that she had said something that she shouldn't have said.

"I... Well, let's just say that I am one of these women who are not forced by this law to conceive a child. They can't force someone who just can't do it, right?," she asked with a little smile.

"I'm sorry," Hermione whispered, embarrassed by the question that she had just asked.

"Don't be. Actually, it's not a bad thing, when I think about it. It had been my motivation from the start, my motivation to become a Healer, to specialise into the gyneco-obstetric area. Well, I don't even know why I'm babbling about such th–..."

Suddenly, a loud _bang_ interrupted the Healer, and Hermione could have almost fell the walls trembled around her. It didn't last long, though. A second later, the room went silent again.

"What was that?," Hermione asked, fear in her chestnut eyes.

"I don't kn–..."

_Bang_. _Bang_. _Bang_. The sounds seemed to come closer, and instinctively, Hermione stood up, taking her wand into her right hand. Eterna Perkins did the same, but Hermione noticed that the Healer seemed to be less confident than she was. They both stayed still during a minute or two, pricking up their ears to hear better. When Hermione heard a scream coming from the other side of the door, she put her bag onto the floor, slowly heading to the entrance door.

"I don't think that it's a good idea, Hermione...," Eterna whispered, as if she was scared to be heard by someone.

"We can't stay here, someone's in danger!"

"And we will be in danger too if we go outside!," the other woman retorted with much more force this time.

"I can't stay here... Stay if you want, hide yourself."

With that said, Hermione slowly opened the door, letting her gaze wandered in the long corridor. She didn't say anything, and for a moment, she thought that all of these noises had been a dream, just a dream. Everything seemed to be perfectly normal, even if she didn't see anyone from where she was. She felt Eterna come closer, and gave her a quick side glance.

"What can you see?," the Healer asked in an unassured voice.

"I can't see that much, unfortunately, Hermione answered, taking her wand more firmly into her hand. "I've got to go outside to see what is happening. Stay here if you d–"

"I'm coming with you," Eterna interrupted her in a whisper. "I can't let you face the danger alone, you're only nineteen for Merlin's sake."

She just had the time to finish her sentence before hearing someone scream again, not so far from them. Hermione took a deep breath and opened the door a little wider, praying not to see something that she didn't want to see: a dead body, for example. She had seen so much of them in the past that she should have been accustomed to them, but it wasn't the case. Death was something that she didn't want to be close to, by any means.

"Stay close to me," she whispered to Eterna, before heading to the end of the corridor, next to the entrance of the Familial Affairs Department. The noises and screams were coming from this part of the office, she was almost sure of it. On the spur of the moment, while she was about to reach the first desk at her left, she heard someone cast a spell, and she had to bend over not to be hit.

"Damn!," Hermione cursed through clenched teeth, looking behind to see if Eterna was alright. She was, even if she was shivering as if a Dementor was in the room.

"What's happening?," she managed to ask, a mask of full terror upon her face.

"I don't know, I think that... we're attacked."

Suddenly, Hermione felt her heart beat faster into her chest. An _attack_... The owl that Severus had received in the morning came into her mind, along with all the discussion that she had had with her husband since a week. Their discussions about Lucius Malfoy, about his plan... " _I am sure that he never really forgot his insane plan_ "... She leaned against the desk, waiting for a sign, for something that could explain _what was happening_. Her months spending on the run with Harry and Ron had helped her to deal with these moments of terror, to try to rationalise everything that was happening at this exact moment. The most important thing was to stay alive, whatever it took. Hermione took another deep breath and eventually took Eterna's hand into hers while another spell hit the desk, making the Healer jump.

"Look at me," Hermione whispered. "Look at me, Eterna. You have to calm down. Try to relax, everything's going to be fine. We need to find a way to leave this office, _right now_. Stay behind me, and try to use every spell that you know, alright?"

It was weird to give this king of instructions to someone older than her, but Hermione knew that Eterna was so afraid that she couldn't think properly at this moment. The Healer nodded erratically, and someone talked right after.

"Come here, little witches! Where's your Minister now? Is he there to protect you? I don't think so..."

Hermione did her best to try to identify this voice, but couldn't. Then, she gathered all the courage that she got left to move to one side, her eyes looking for someone to aim at.

" _Stupefy_!" she yelled, taking the tall man by surprise. He fell like a ragged doll on the floor, and Hermione ran to take his wand before putting it into her pocket.

"We're not safe here," Eterna said to her, looking at the body of her secretary on the floor, along with two of her colleagues.

"I know," Hermione snapped back, trying to see if the corridor was safe to leave the Familial Affairs Department. "Who is this man?"

"I've got no idea..."

Hermione gave him a last look, but didn't recognise him either; she was sure that she had never seen him in the past, but she had the time to notice the Dark Mark on his left forearm. A _Death Eater_.

Standing next to the entrance door, Hermione closed her eyes when she heard a _familial voice_.

"Is that all that you've got, _Mudblood_? Where is your Minister? Tell me, where this prick of Shackelbolt is?"

_Lucius Malfoy._ It couldn't be possible, she thought, trying to make as little noise as possible. At the other side of the wall, a few feet from the entrance door of the Familial Affairs Department, she could hear Lucius Malfoy's breath, rapid and heavy, along with another one, slow and difficult this one.

"I– I don't know...," a woman's voice raised, unsteady. "I've never seen h–him, I swear, please..."

"A Minister who do not even take care of his own employees," Malfoy spat, and Hermione could almost see his expression of disdain, even if she didn't even have an eye contact with the two people at the other side of the wall. "But do not worry, my dear... I will fix all of this mess, be sure of it...," he almost purred, before yelling a " _Avada Kedavra!_ " which made Hermione jump. She did her best not to move, and she looked at Eterna to tell her to do the same.

"Don't. Move," she mouthed without saying it out loud, not wanting to draw attention on them. A few seconds passed, but they seemed to be hours to Hermione. Then, she heard other screams at the other side of the Ministry, and Lucius Malfoy's footsteps seemed to move away from where the two women were.

"What are we going to do?," Eterna muttered, terrorised by the situation.

"We are going to go home, we can't stay here," Hermione answered, knowing that she had to join Severus as soon as possible. "But we can't Disapparate here, I don't know how we..."

"I can make us Apparate somewhere else," Eterna quickly added. "Every Ministry employee can do this, just... just grab my arm."

Hermione did as Eterna said, and a second later, no scream could be heard. The were in a bright alley of London, and Hermione had to squint to accustom her eyes to the light of the sun.

"What just happened?," Eterna asked again, and Hermione just shook her head, trying to think about what she had to do right now.

"I don't know, I really don't... But you have to go home, Eterna. I'm going home to, and... I can't stay," she promptly added, thinking about Severus once again. "I need to go, right now. Take care of yourself."

She didn't wait any longer: a second later, Hermione was gone.

**XxX**

Severus put the last ingredient into his cauldron, and grabbed his spoon. Hermione needed to take her contraceptive potion at the end of the week, and he had found a way to improve its taste. It still wasn't good enough to take pleasure to drink, but it was far from the awful taste of the first batch of potion, or so he thought; she would be the one who will drink it, after all.

As he was waiting for the potion to be ready, he started to think about Hermione. He was hoping that her meeting with the Healer was going well, otherwise they would be in great trouble. The Ministry of Magic had been clear: no contraceptive was tolerated.

He was still stirring the potion when the entrance door flung open, making him frown. Without a single moment of hesitation, he let go of the spoon and left his laboratory, his steps heading him to the living room. There, he was face to face with a frightened Hermione.

"What is going on?," he asked, noticing the mess of her hair and the absence of her purse.

"The Ministry, _Malfoy_...," her wife managed to say, searching for her own words.

"Calm down," Severus said to her, even if he had a bad feeling. "Sit down, Hermione, and tell me what happened."

He tried to help her to sit, but she shook her head. "We don't have time, _we don't_. They attacked the Ministry, Malfoy, people that I don't even know about... They killed people, Ministry employees... You can't stay here."

_You can't stay here_. Of course, he couldn't stay here. He couldn't stay here, with her, waiting for either Malfoy or one of the Death Eater to come here, if they had succeeded to overthrow the Ministry as they seemed to want to do. Moreover, he couldn't stay here if they had failed: the Ministry would search for him, and Hermione would be seen as a traitor to the Order too.

"You can't stay here either, Hermione," Severus said in a calm and steady voice. "You have to go to your parents, you have to hide. It is not safe here."

She shook her head, an expression of incomprehension all over her face.

"I don't want to leave you," she retorted, squeezing his hand into hers, as if she was afraid to see him disappear at the spur of the moment.

"You have to. Do not be silly, Hermione. You cannot be seen with me, not at this moment."

"I don't want to leave you," Hermione repeated, louder this time. "I'm not going to let you go without me."

"Herm–"

"We don't have time to argue," she interrupted him, not letting go of his hand. "We've got to go..."

At this exact moment, Severus heard noises coming from the corridor of the building, coming closer and closer.

"Hermione, don't," he tried one last time, but he knew that she wouldn't let go of him that easily.

"We need to go," she retorted as if she hadn't even heard him.

When the entrance door opened with a loud _Bang!_ , both of them were gone.

* * *


	16. Isle of Man - Part I

**Becoming One**

**Chapter 15**

* * *

When Hermione's hands encountered the cold grass, she wondered if she still was in August. Surely, she hadn't used any kind of Time turner, but she couldn't help but think that the weather had changed drastically. Her head was spinning, as if she had just Apparated without properly thinking about the exact location where she had wanted to go at the first place. She had thought of Bristol in the first place, remembering these times that she used to spend with her parents during the holidays when she were younger. But, as her eyes tried to deal with the bright sun that was shinning over her, she had no memories of this place. When she looked up, leaning on her right hand to do so, she let out a groan of pain; she had hurt her wrist when she had fallen onto the grass, she was sure of it.

_Severus_. Her mind quickly went to her husband, and she erratically looked around, not even taking care to stand up in the mean time. Around her, there was nothing, nothing except grass everywhere. Some mountains were visible from where she was, and it was all. _Where could he be?_ Was it possible that the Apparition hadn't worked and that Severus was still in their flat at the moment? Hermione shook her head, not wanting to think about such things. She gathered all the forces that she had left to stand up, trying to keep her mouth shut, not wanting to show any sign of pain; she was much stronger than that. Even if she did her best, she couldn't help but groan when she moved her wrist to see if she was badly injured. It didn't seem to be that bad, but it hurt like hell to Hermione's eyes. Moreover, it was her right hand, the hand that she used to hold her wand.

Her wand... Her wand was into her hand when she had Apparated, she remembered. She looked at the grass wet with raindrops –the reason why it was so cold–, and even bent over to try to find it quicker. But all that she managed to put her hands on was two pieces of wood of almost the same size. Broken –her wand was broken. She might have let it drop on the floor when she had Apparated Merlin knew where. She sighed of despair, looking around again to see if Severus was close to her. She began to walk to the little hill that was right in front of her, with the hope to see him behind it. She seemed to be far from London; they could have been separated while travelling so far from their starting point.

"Severus!," she shouted, not paying attention to the fact that her voice was slightly broken. She cleared her throat and did it several times again. It was at the fourth shout that she finally had an answer.

"I am here," a man's voice said at her right, and Hermione almost ran to meet him. He was next to a mountain made of rocks, trying to tidy up his wizard robe.

"Oh my, I thought that I've lost you," she sighed when she finally saw him, fighting the urge to take him into her arms to reassure herself a little more. Severus seemed to be as lost as she was.

"Are you okay?," Hermione continued, her eyes wandering from his head to toes. He seemed to be fine, unlike her.

"Everything is fine," he answered abruptly. "What about you?"

"I just broke my right wrist..."

Severus sighed, and took a step toward her, inviting her to hold out her hand.

"Why didn't you heal yourself?"

"I broke my wand too...," she let out with a cynical laugh.

"Good thing that you did not break anything else," Severus mumbled before taking his own wand to heal her. He casted the spell, and soon enough, Hermione could move her wrist without any risk of harm.

"Thank you," she just muttered, disturbed by his coldness toward her. "Where do you think we are?"

"I have no idea... I wanted to Apparate close to Liverpool, but I guess that I did not concentrate myself enough."

"I tried to Apparate ourselves in Bristol, actually," Hermione said, knowing that it was the cause of this error of location.

"You did what?," Severus hissed, and Hermione noticed that he was truly angry at her.

"What is your problem, Severus? I did what I had to do since you didn't seem to be ready to leave."

"I was not ready to leave _with you_!," he corrected. "You were supposed to go your own way, Hermione, and you forced me to take you with m–"

"I'm your wife!," she shouted while rolling her eyes, stunned by his nerves. "Our lives are bound together since the day we said _yes,_ or should I remind you about our vows?"

"Oh, stop talking like you care about me, please. Spare me all this sentimental shite."

Hermione remained silent, not knowing what to say after this. She cared about him, she truly cared, but saying it out loud was something that she wasn't ready to do, especially after these harsh words that Severus had uttered. She just stared at him, waiting for him to calm down. Of course, her husband was pissed at the situation, annoyed to see that she had managed to follow him in his run; he was the lonely kind of man. But soon enough, she thought, he would understand that she had done this just to help him, not to be a burden to his eyes.

She started to move from him, taking a deep breath while doing so. Far off where they were, she could see the sea, the brightening sea with a rainbow above it. _Every cloud has a silver lining_ , Hermione muttered to herself with a shadow of a smile.

"Where are you going?," Severus asked grumpily when he noticed that she was slowly walking away from him.

"I'm going to try to find something, a clue to understand where we are," Hermione answered, not bothering to look at him. "And we need to find something to eat too."

She continued to walk, and soon, she heard a sound of steps in her back. She smiled inwardly: at least, he wanted to continue his journey with her.

**XxX**

"We cannot stay too close to the habitations," Severus said when they arrived near the coast, where every inhabitants lived.

"Why not?," she asked. "We need to find something to eat, and I've got some money in my pocket."

She initiated a movement to take the few pounds that she'd got left, but her hand encountered something else. With a frown, she took a wand from her right pocket. Severus raised a surprised eyebrow when he saw her doing it.

"I thought that you broke your wand."

"I did," Hermione answered. "It's not my wand. I took it from the Death Eater whom I stupefied."

Severus nodded in comprehension. "Good news, then, you have a wand after all. But I still think that we should not go too close to the habitations, given our status."

"And what _our status_ is? We are nothing special outside London until we learn what really happened today. I think that now is the good moment to buy things to eat for the days to come; we will not have this opportunity in a few days."

Severus seemed to weight the pros and the cons of this plan, and he eventually agreed.

"Alright. But we need to be quick."

Hermione nodded, and tried to think about the things that she could buy with the twenty-five pounds that were into her pocket. Some bread and meat, obviously; water too, even if she thought that this commodity could easily be found into these mountains where it seemed to rain often. If she had the ingredients in the first place, she could easily duplicate them afterwards with the proper spell: one of the good things about being a wizard.

They continued to walk in silence, and the rain started to fall upon their heads. None of them said anything, but after a few minutes, Hermione started to sneeze. Severus looked at her and noticed her bare arms. The weather here was totally different than in London, and he stopped in order to take his cloak off.

"Take this," he said in his deep baritone voice, giving her his own cloak.

"No, it's okay, keep it...," Hermione retorted, shaking her head.

"Do not be stupid. You need it more than I do. It is hard enough to have to stay with you in these conditions, and it will be even harder if you are sick," Severus explained with a smirk full of cynicism.

"Well, since it sounds so nice in your mouth...," Hermione said with a laugh, giving him the opportunity to put the cloak on her shoulders. "Thank you, Severus."

"My pleasure."

Fifteen minutes later, they arrived into a village and they quickly found a little shop. Hermione bought the necessary things with the few money that she had, and while she was about to pay, Severus gently grabbed her arm.

"Look," he simply said, and Hermione followed his gaze, until she saw what her husband wanted her to see. There was a little notice, talking about an upcoming museum exposition, but it wasn't the most important information that Hermione noticed; at the end of the notice, there was the location of the exposition.

"Isle of Man," she muttered. "We are on an island..."

**XxX**

"Truth to be told, Macnair, this is one of the best ideas that you've got since... a long time," Lucius Malfoy drawled, before erasing the last drop of blood that was falling from the arch of his eyebrow. "You helped us tremendously today, and you shall be rewarded when the time will come, be sure of it."

The immense wizard did his best to hide his childish smile of satisfaction, and he suddenly thought about bending over in front of Lucius Malfoy. _But he's not your master_ , he thought after a second of hesitation. Their Master was dead since a long time, unfortunately. He had passed away due to this vermin of Harry Potter, and Macnair hadn't even forgotten about this day when he had thought about losing everything. Not that he had much, but it was still something. The Dark Lord had promised him a place of choice, telling him that he would become the Prime Executioner of his Kingdom when he would reign over the Wizarding World.

And now that the Dark Lord wasn't here anymore, Macnair was under Lucius Malfoy's orders. He wasn't a bad man, this Lucius Malfoy. He seemed to be less crazy than the previous Master, in all honesty. Macnair had seen how well Lucius Malfoy had fought at the Ministry, how confident he had been; he hadn't spare a single life, and he had stayed close to the plan: as soon as the Minister of Magic had been warned of their intrusion into the Ministry Headquarters, they had left, leaving blood and moans of pain behind them.

The sixteen of them had been enough to kill a bunch of Ministry employees, and Macnair was proud; it reminded him about his past as an executioner, in every way. Right after this massacre, they had left the Ministry, Apparating at the house of one of Macnair's cousins. Actually, he quickly corrected inwardly, it wasn't his cousin's house; it was one of his best friend's one. It wasn't a big house, but it was enough for the fifteen of them –one of his friends was missing, unfortunately.

"I couldn't stay at my flat, of course," Lucius continued, "and I couldn't stay at Malfoy's manor either. I have to protect Narcissa and Draco as much as I can."

"Don't you think that the Minister will question them, even if you are not there?," Mulciber asked, slightly limping while heading to the sofa.

"They shall, I think. But it is not a problem. None of them are aware of our plan, I made sure to keep it secret. They will not say anything about it, do not worry."

All of the people on the room nodded in approval, and they started to drink their fire whiskey.

"What is going to happen next, now?," Yaxley asked, his deep voice taking everyone by surprise.

"Now, we wait," Lucius said with a smirk. "The Whole Wizarding World knows about us now, and they sure will not forget anytime soon. Then, we will see. But for the weeks to come, we stay quiet."

"And what about Snape?," Travers dared to question.

Lucius stayed still for a moment, his eyes looking into space. He eventually looked up at Travers, his grey eyes cold as ice.

"Why don't you go find him, Travers? Yes, here is your task: go find Severus, and find his dear wife as well. I want both of them alive, of course. Torturing a dead body is not fun, after all."

**XxX**

A cave. That was Hermione and Severus' shelter for the night. Severus had made a fire, and they were finishing to eat the meat that the young woman had bought. Hermione shivered, tightening the cloak around her shoulders.

"I really miss my handbag," she mumbled for herself before bitting into a piece of meat.

"I beg your pardon?"

"Nothing... It's just that... Well, last year, right before going to the hunt of the Horcruxes with Harry and Ron, I bought a handbag. It was a really common one, nothing fancy about it, but I thought about putting an Undetectable Extension Charm on it. I put everything that we needed and it really helped us during our run," she explained. "I didn't think about it this time, what a pity..."

"You were not supposed to know that such a thing would happen," Severus shook his head. "It was not a part of the plan."

"It was a part of _their_ plan," Hermione corrected, eliciting a sad smile from Severus.

"I should have gone to this meeting, shouldn't I?"

"No, not at all. You stayed true to your words, and I couldn't be prouder of you, really. What happened was unexpected, and all my thoughts go to all the people who perished this morning."

She chewed another bite of meat, lost in her thoughts. Severus seemed to notice her despair, because he put a hand onto her knee.

"Please, do not blame yourself for what happened this morning. You could not have saved all of them. Did Eterna..."

He didn't dare finishing his sentence, leaving the worst words unsaid. Hermione shook her head.

"She was with me, actually. We managed to flee from the Ministry thanks to her. As you may know, a visitor can't Disappear between the Ministry's walls, but an employee can. We Disappeared together."

"I shall thank her the next time around, then."

"Thank her for what?," Hermione asked after having swallowing her bite of meat.

"For saving you, of course," Severus explained, his hand still caressing her knee.

Hermione blushed and tried to hide a smile.

"But I guess that she has to thank you too," Severus continued, not paying attention to her visible embarrassment. "I am sure that you took things in hands at the Ministry."

"Why are you saying that? You weren't even there."

"I know you, Hermione, more than you think. Do not underestimate the things that we have in common."

"Such as?"

"Such as our need to fight and to protect people."

Hermione's only answer was a sneeze, and Severus pulled her against his warm body.

"Here, let us move near the fire. I know that it is not the best place to be right now, but let us try to see the good in the bad, shall we?"

Feeling relieved to be next to something warm, Hermione closed her eyes while resting her head against Severus' chest.

"I can do that," she just whispered before falling asleep.


	17. Isle of Man - Part II

**Becoming One**

**Chapter 16**

* * *

On the run, once again. Right after the War, Hermione Granger had wanted to have an easy life; a life where everything would be simple, where no Horcruxes would have to be searched. A life without a menace above her head. She had decided to become a Healer, and even thought she knew that this wasn't a simple job, it was drastically different from what she had lived before. Living with a tent as a roof, freezing during the night, thinking about her parents all day.

More than everything, it was the lack of information that was disturbing right now. And what if Harry, of one of the Weasleys had perished during her absence? What if the Death Eater now ruled the Wizarding World?

The second day, Hermione woke up with all these ideas in mind, a terrible headache threatening her. She slowly rose from Severus' black cloak that the latter had used as a protection from the cold floor, looking around. It hadn't been a nightmare, unfortunately. She was still in this cave, and a few raindrops were falling onto her head from time to time. Her hair and the cloak around her was deafening the little sound that they would have made if they had fallen on the floor, and Hermione moved to protect herself, even if she didn't have a lot of space to hide herself in the cave. The only dry place of the cave was currently occupied by the pile of meat and bread that she had multiplied the night before. No need to say that she would get sick in a matter of time.

She sniffled a few times, but it just helped to worsen her headache. With a sigh, she got up from the wet cloak and went to look for Severus. He had casted several spells at the front entrance of the cave, protecting them from an unexpected visitor. It was also protecting them from the dim light of the outside, at this time of the day. Slowly, Hermione left the cave, protecting her bare arms with her hands. While she thought that something could be done with her t-shirt to lengthen its sleeves, she saw that Severus was looking at something close to... a _map_?

He was standing up, looking from time to time at the mountains, and other times at the map. She walked toward him at a slow pace, not wanting to scare him.

"Hi," she said when she was close enough to him to be heard.

Severus didn't even take bother to turn around to look at her. "Did you sleep well?"

"Not really, to be honest. These raindrops were highly irritating. You?"

"It could have been better," he simply answered, squinting at the same time toward one of the mountains.

"What are you doing?," Hermione asked, coming closer to him to take a look at the map that was into his hands.

"I am currently searching for a better shelter for tonight. This map will help me in this task."

"Where did you find it? I didn't buy this map yesterday."

"I used... some old tricks," Severus explained with a smirk. "Having been close to the Dark Lord sometimes has its advantages."

Hermione didn't answer, somewhat disturbed by this confidence from her husband. But at the same time, she shouldn't have been: Severus had been a spy, and it was a good thing that these things were useful right now. They needed to use everything that they knew in order to survive, after all. Looking at the mountains, she wondered if there was any chance for them to hide into them, given their small height.

"Did you find something valuable yet?"

Severus shook his head, and Hermione noticed that his hair was wet, like hers. She took her wand into her hand and casted a spell to cast his hair, then hers.

"It was not necessary," he mumbled with a quick glance toward her, making her smile.

"You look better this way."

Severus remained silent, and he walked toward her, pointing at a point on the map with his slender finger.

"Here... There is a little steam, not so far from where we are. It is maybe three or four miles from here. I think that we should go there and see if it is worth it."

Hermione thought for a second, and she eventually agreed.

"Alright. After all, nothing can be worse than this cave. But, Severus?"

She waited for him to look at her; she needed to have his full attention at this moment.

"Yes?"

"I thought about the whole situation last night. What are we going to do? Are we going to stay here for the rest of our lives? Live as hermits for an undetermined time?," she asked with a forced laugh, even if she knew that it could be a possibility; one of the few that she didn't want to think about, but still a possibility given their situation.

Severus gave her one of this ardent looks that he had the secret, but Hermione continued to look straight at him. She wanted to know what the plan, what their plan was.

"I am still not sure about what we need to do, Hermione," he eventually answered with a sigh. "This situation is not something that I had the occasion to thing about in the past. It was not supposed to be like that."

"And what was it supposed to be like?," the young woman asked while Severus was folding the map to put it into the pocket of his black robe.

"To begin with, you were not supposed to be with me," he answered with a smirk.

"What would you do if you were alone?"

Severus gazed at her, with his usual undecipherable look over his face. For one of the first time since their wedding, Hermione noticed that he was a tired man; someone with so many weight over his shoulders, with this burden that he had to carry with him everywhere, every time. He was a thirty-eight-year-old man with so many memories, who had lived so many things, and Hermione understood that she was far from knowing everything about this secrete person.

"It is not what is important right now," Severus dismissed her question. "You are with me, and we have to find a solution together. Is not it what you wanted in the first place, Hermione? To be considered as _my wife_ , to take the important decisions with me. You wanted us to be equals in this compulsory relationship."

Severus seemed to test her, to see what her limits were, and Hermione nodded. "Of course, it is what I wanted in the first place; it is what I still want," she admitted in a breath.

"Then, we will take this kind of decisions together. First, I think that you agree that we need to know what really happened at the Ministry yesterday morning."

"Of course. I don't really thing that there are a lot of wizards on this island, but maybe we could find a newspapers somewhere dealing with it... I've got the impression that this attack was huge enough to be on the Muggle newspapers. I remember that it happened during last summer, when Voldemort was beginning stronger."

Severus nodded in approval. "What should we do then?"

Hermione thought about it for long seconds, and she finally gave her opinion to her husband. "We need to find a newspapers, obviously. Then we'll see what the better thing to do is. Until then, we are in a complete blur, and we can't take a proper decision without knowing the facts."

"I agree," Severus said. "Then, we need to return in the village," he continued, a serious expression over his face. "Moreover, I had an idea before falling asleep, yesterday. You will be happy about it, trust me."

**XxX**

Harry Potter paced his office, cursing from time to time. He hadn't slept since the day prior, and everything seemed to be out of control at the Ministry. The Minister of Magic, Kingsley Shackelbolt, had given him this burning issue to deal with, and he wasn't that sure to be capable of doing it, _once again_. But to become an Auror had been his idea, after all, he thought. So why was he so moved by this?

Maybe that it was too fast; maybe that he needed more time to recover from his seven years spending with Voldemort's threat above his head. Maybe that he wasn't made for this job. Now that he was alone, without Ron and Hermione by his side, he wondered if he could do it alone. During all these years, they had been his only support, giving him advices when he needed to, helping him when he was in a bad position. They were his only true friends, and now, they weren't there. They had disappeared, leaving him alone, letting him facing this new threat on his own.

Harry sat on the closest chair, taking his head into his hands. Where the hell was Hermione? Right after the Ministry's attack, Kingsley didn't wait long to react. The harm had been done, and now he just wanted to punish the people who had done this. That was the reason why they had gone to the house of the people that they were keeping an eye on since so long, these ex-Death Eaters that the Minister had talked them about.

Malfoy. Macnair. Yaxley. Nott Sr. Rosier Sr. Mulciber.

_Snape_.

None of them had been found, unfortunately. They had fled as soon as the end of the attack, leaving a bunch of dead people behind them. It was almost certain that it had been them who had attacked the Ministry; there were a few survivors, and all of them had testified against all of them.

All of them, except Severus Snape.

Of course, it should have been a reason enough for Harry or the Minister to deduce from this information that Severus hadn't taken part into this fatal attack. But why did he flee from London? Why was his flat empty?

And why Hermione was missing too?

Of rage, Harry went to his desk and knocked over a dozen of parchments. He couldn't even think that Hermione was an accomplice of this crime. It was something to say that Severus could have done something like that, but Hermione, of all people? No, that was something that didn't make any sense to Harry's eyes. Hermione was his friend since she was eleven; he had grown with her, he had lived so many things with her by her side. She had protected him every time, and above all, she was a good person with a good soul. She had even created the S.P.E.W., for Merlin's sake!

All of the sudden, the door of his office flung open, and Harry looked at the person who had just disturbed his tranquillity.

"Minister," he greeted him with a curt nod, inviting him to enter into the room. Not that Kingsley Shackelbolt needed an invitation to do so, though.

"Harry. I would have preferred to see you in better conditions," the black wizard said in a sad tone while taking a sit. "Did you find anything?"

"Nothing new about Malfoy and his friends, I am afraid. They are still missing, but five Aurors are on their way to the houses of their relatives."

"Good. Is Calypso with them?"

"Sure, she is. She seemed to be pretty moved by this attack, by the way."

"Her sister was working at the Ministry when it happened, that is the reason why she acted this way. Eterna Perkins managed to flee from the Ministry on time, fortunately enough, but I can understand why Calypso is in this state; she could have lost her sister, after all."

Harry didn't answer, but Kingsley went on. "And what about Snape?"

"No news from him. Another two Aurors went to the flat that he shares with Hermione, but it was empty. Well, _almost empty_. Their elf was still in the house, hidden under her bed."

Kingsley pursed his lips, as if he was weighting the pros and cons of a decision that he was about to make.

"An elf, you said?"

"Exactly, Minister."

"Did they bring her in the Ministry?"

"Of course."

"I want you to question her. And use everything in your power to make her talk. I am sure that she could have overheard interesting things while working for Snape. _Everything in your power_ , Harry."

Suddenly uncomfortable, Harry swallowed hard.

"What do you mean by " _everything in my power_ ", exactly?"

"You know exactly what I mean. It is a case of the highest importance, Harry. Dozens of Ministry employees died yesterday; their death shouldn't remained unpunished."

Kingsley Shackelbolt then left Harry's office without another word, without even saying goodbye. Harry leaned against his desk, thinking about the little elf that the Aurors had brought the day prior. Gretchen was her name, and she reminded him of Dobby, the little elf that had helped him tremendously during his years at Hogwarts. Oh, at first, Harry had thought that Dobby wanted to kill him, but it had been far from the truth; Dobby had been the one who had given his life away for him. How could he harm Gretchen to have the answers that Kingsley desperately needed in these conditions?

With a sigh, Harry left his office, heading to the room where the elf was locked. With luck, he thought, he would have the answers that he wanted without doing her any harm.

**XxX**

"Nothing."

Hermione closed the newspapers that she had found into a dustbin when she had arrived in the village, alone. Severus had asked her to do so; a lonely woman is less recognisable than a couple after all. Moreover, with his dark and thick robe, Severus was easy to remember.

"What are we doing now?," she asked as they were walking since more than ten minutes; she had taken advantage of this time to read in great detail every page of the newspapers, but nothing had been useful.

"I have no idea," Severus admitted. "Of course, we cannot go back to London, not without knowing what happened first; it is far too dangerous. Who knows what can happen."

"Well...," Hermione began, taking care not to walk on the pebbles, "I guess that there are two viable options."

"More than two, actually," Severus cut her off. "If the Minister won and defeated Malfoy, they could be either dead of alive. In either case, I am a suspect on their list."

"Not if they are alive," she frowned.

"Do you really think that it is a possibility?," Severus chuckled. "Think about it, Hermione: I never went to Malfoy's meeting. He must think that I betrayed him, in a way, and I am not going to deny it. In these circumstances, is there any chance for him to clean my name?"

"No," Hermione mumbled.

"The second option now," Severus went on, in almost a clinical tone. "All of Malfoy's friends are dead. You told me before that I was a suspect to the Minister's eyes; I do not believe that I would stop being a suspect to their eyes after that.

"Third option: Malfoy won. What would happen in your opinion, Hermione?"

"He would hunt you down, in a really vicious way," she answered, sure of her answer.

Severus nodded. "He would, of course. Whatever option is the truth..."

"We are screwed anyway," Hermione concluded.

"I would not have used such a language, but yes, you are right," Severus said with a side glance at her.

"Either way, one day we would have to return to London. I don't plan to stay here, far from everything, far from my life."

"Your life, as you used to know it, is over since yesterday."

His tone was cold, and Hermione stopped her walk, urging him to to the same. Severus looked straight at her, an interrogation in the bottom of his eyes.

"What are you waiting for?"

"My life is not _over_ ," she retorted, pulling on the sleeves of her shirt that she had lengthened before going to the village.

"You put an end to your previous life the moment you decided to come with me, Hermione. Do not act like you were not aware of this fact. I warned you..."

Hermione bit the inside of her cheek. She knew that Severus was right; she had draw a line under her future career, under her life as she knew it. Her future as a Healer: gone. Her dream to be recognise in the Wizarding World as Hermione Granger and not Harry Potter's friend: gone too. Well, she thought, maybe not exactly since she was sure that her name, alongside Severus' one, would make headlines in a few days if the Ministry had won. They would soon be seen as the two Order's members who had betrayed everyone. _Brilliant_.

"What are we supposed to do then? Stay here forever?"

"Why not?," Severus asked with a smirk full of irony. "For now, we are staying here, whether you want it or not," he continued, in a serious tone this time. "And we should hurry to find a shelter, by the way: it will rain soon, if I trust these menacing clouds over there."

Hermione let out a sigh, but followed him anyway. She managed to stay close to Severus, even if he was walking faster and faster with time passing by. During her walk, she observed him: without his cloak–a cloak that he had turned into a purse while she had been searching for the newspapers, casting an Undetectable Extension Charm on it, to Hermione's greatest surprise–, he seemed to be less imposing, more... human. Despite his hooked nose and his long black hair, Severus was not an ugly man, far from it. In all honesty, he could almost be described as an awesome man when he was smiling; that was the reason why Hermione loved to see him smile so much. Given the circumstances, she would not be able to see a smile on his face as often as she wanted too, she thought.

She stopped thinking about her husband when he stopped in the middle of the road, taking the map into his hands.

"What's going on? Are we lost?," Hermione asked, confused.

"Of course not. I am just searching for the better place to stay..."

Severus then casted several spells onto the yellowed map, and seconds later, a cave, not so far from where they were standing, diffused a light, strong enough to be seen even during the day. Her husband looked at her, his eyes shinning with pride.

"... and I have just found it."

**XxX**

Without even thinking about it, Hermione was playing with her engagement ring, making it turn around her finger. She was looking into space, and Severus took advantage of this moment to look at his wife. He wouldn't have thought that she would be that strong in the situation they were in. It was all his fault, and yet, she hadn't accused him, not a single time. She was, on the contrary, caring for him, always asking for his opinion, even when she could have take some of the decisions alone.

For the first time of his life, Severus had the impression to be important in this world.

During years, decades even, he had followed people: Lily Evans first, the love of his life and also the person who had broken his heart in a matter of years. Oh, Severus had known since the beginning that Lily wasn't made for him: she was too beautiful, too caring, too perfect to be his. She deserved someone better, someone famous and handsome such as James Potter. Maybe that Severus would have accepted this relationship if Potter wasn't such a prick, he thought inwardly.

Then, he had followed the Dark path, becoming friends with people like Yaxley, Mulciber or Lucius Malfoy. Had it been the worst idea that he had ever had? Surely. To develop a thing such as a friendship with these Slytherins had costed him a lot of things: Lily, to begin with, even if he knew that she wouldn't have chosen him despite this fact. But above all, it had costed him his freedom, the only thing that he had never had the occasion to know during his thirty-eight years spent in this word.

After that, he had decided to put his destiny into Albus Dumbledore's hands, turning his back on his old friends, on the Dark Lord. It had been for him a kind of redemption; at last, he was able to repair his own and old mistakes. Lily was dead, but he had the opportunity to help her into her last task: saving her son.

Severus clenched his teeth at this memory, this unbearable memory that he would never forget about. A woman; a single woman had been at the beginning of all of his choices, at every moment of his life. She would never know all of this, of course, but it was a fact: his love for Lily Evans had impacted his life more than anything else.

When Severus removed his eyes from Hermione's engagement ring, he searched for her eyes but didn't find them. _Hermione_...

She was the innocence itself. Her chestnut eyes were now full of trust whenever she was looking at him, and Severus didn't know if he deserved this trust. He had been sincere with her during the last week, but what about these two last months, full of lies of any sort?

Even after the War, Severus had remained a follower. Truth to be told, he had never thought about this period of his life this way. On the contrary, he had been almost sure to be a free man, free from the Dark Lord influence, free for the vows that he had made to Dumbledore. Both of them were dead, and Severus had had the impression to begin anew, for the first time of his life. In all honesty, every person that he had ever followed, one way or another, was dead: his parents. Lily. Dumbledore. Voldemort. The five of them: gone.

And then, Lucius Malfoy came and changed everything. Severus hadn't even noticed it first; in his mind, he was still a free man, free to do whatever he pleased. The only person who was an obstacle to his freedom to his eyes were Kingsley Shackelbolt, the man who had forced him to wed someone, not his _friend_. His friend who had saved him, after all, hadn't he?

_A follower_. Severus had always been a follower. And now, he was with a woman, a woman kind enough to ask him for his opinion before doing a thing on her own. A woman who seemed to care for him, who had been strong enough to follow him without even knowing where he wanted to go in the first place. And she was not only a woman, he rectified inwardly: she was his _wife_.

All of the sudden, Hermione looked up at him, surprised to feel his eyes upon her.

"Is everything okay?," she asked, cocking her head slightly to one side.

Severus tried to swallow in order to make this lump in his throat disappear, but he failed. He could only nod in answer, and Hermione seemed to be reassured by this simple movement. She smiled at him and went closer to the fire to warm herself without uttering another word.

**XxX**

A groan; that was the sound that woke Hermione up. The fire had gone out since a long time now, and she was fast asleep since a few hours, but not enough not to be waken up by this groan.

She tried to adapt her eyes to the lack of light, groping her way around to put her hand onto her wand.

"Severus?," she whispered, thinking that he was still asleep. "Severus, there is something weird out there."

There was still this groan, and Hermione eventually put her hand on her wand. She casted a _Lumos_ , and the little cave–but larger than the previous one–lightened up within a second. While she had thought that the sound was coming from outside the cave, she was surprised to realise that this groan was coming from Severus himself.

Lying down the floor, he seemed to be fast asleep, despite his frown and the groans that he was making from time to time. Worried, the young woman tried to wake him up, pushing him slowly.

"Severus, please, wake up..."

Was he having a nightmare? It surely looked like one to Hermione, and she wasn't sure if it was a good idea to wake him up after all. But while she was wondering if she needed to wake him up or not, Severus opened his eyes in the spur of the moment, grabbing the inner part of his left forearm, an expression of pure pain over his face. Terrorized, Hermione helped him to sit up and rolled up his sleeve.

"What's going on?," Hermione repeated over and over, looking at the Dark Mark on Severus' forearm. It seemed to be more vivid than ever, its black colour contrasting with the Potions Master's pale face.

"Malfoy...," he managed to murmur between two roars of pain, given her the explanation that she needed.

"But I thought... I thought that just Voldemort c-could–," Hermione stammered, thinking about something to help Severus to calm down. "Please, tell me what to do, I don't know how to help you..."

Severus didn't answer. The only thing to do was to wait, he knew it. Eventually, the pain would become blurred, _eventually_... In the middle of the pain, he wondered how such a thing could happen. After the Dark Lord's defeat, the Dark Mark had faded to a scar, and even if he had tried several times with Lucius, it was impossible for a Death Eater to use it as a mean of communication any longer. So _how_?

This question was spinning over and over into his head, along with the questions that Hermione was asking him. But he couldn't answer her, it was so painful to make a single movement, and it was even more painful and hard to talk.

"Severus, please, stay with me..."

Why was she saying that?, he thought. He was with her, obviously. He could feel her hand onto his forearm, and he could also feel the kisses that she was putting on his forehead from time to time. She was trying to ease his pain as much as she could, and for a second, Severus thought that the young woman, _his wife_ , had almost succeeded. The pain seemed to be bearable, which was an improvement to his eyes.

Then, he heard her calling his name louder and louder. It was the moment when Severus felt something _different;_ the pain was still there, but it was like only his body was affected by it. His mind, however, was at a total different place.

A place where Hermione's cries couldn't be heard anymore.

A place where everything was black.

_Unconsciousness_.


	18. Discoveries

**Becoming One**

**Chapter 17**

* * *

"Severus."

A male voice; loud enough to be heard, even if Severus had the impression that it was far, so far from where he was. He tried to open his eyes, but he didn't manage to do it. Several times, he tried; with no success at every attempt.

"Severus!"

Insistent, the voice was coming closer and closer. In a last attempt, Severus eventually opened his eyes in the spur of the moment, and was surprised by the bright light that was coming from the ceiling. With a gasp of terror, he sat up, his hands resting on the cold–and white–floor. He moved his head from right to left, his eyes searching for something recognisable, someone known.

"Severus, this is my last warning..."

Slowly, as if, deep inside, he knew that _he had to_ answer to this man, he cleared his throat, before trying to get up.

"I am here," Severus said, and a second later, he was standing up; coming toward him, a man was frowning.

"I waited for you during ages!," he shouted, menacing the Potions Master with a slender finger, his gesture full of contained rage. "Where were you, this time?"

When the man was close enough to be recognised, Severus did his best not to yell of terror and disgust. Tobias Snape; his own father. His features were the same as usual: gross facies, a nose that even the ugliest man wouldn't want to have, his eyes dark as the darkest night. His thin lips were pursed into a comical rictus, as if he always wanted to say something but that he was too much of a coward to say it.

"I am waiting!," he went on, with the same rictus on his face which seemed to become redder and redder with time passing by.

"Who are you?," Severus retorted, trying to hide this little fear that he was feeling inside. Around him, the white walls changed, taking a deep blue shade: he was at his own house, the house where he had lived during years, decades even, with his parents. The walls, that he had loathed with all his heart, were highly disturbing, even years later.

Was it really his father, his _parent_ who was standing before him, talking to him like he was a six-year-old boy again?

"I am your father, Severus. Do not try to be clever in my presence; we both know that you are just as stupid as your silly mother!," Tobias snapped, his mouth twisting into a poor smirk. He seemed to be older than he was when he died, since Severus could notice his grey hair and the profound lines and wrinkles all over his face. His hair, moreover, seemed to be shorter than before his death; but it was something that Severus wasn't sure of: he hadn't seen Tobias Snape since many years when the latter had passed away.

"Do not talk about her like that," Severus hissed, his fists clenched.

"Why not, Severus?," Tobias retorted, a hint of amusement in his voice. "Every woman that you were close to is a whore; nothing but a whore, your mother included. Do you want to her me talk about this little redhead that you used to see when you were young? Nothing but a–"

"Stop it!," Severus roared, furious this time. "You have no right to talk about her this way."

"Haven't I? I am your father; I've got _every_ right. Tell me, Severus, do you still see her, that _Lily_? Or did she abandon you like your mother did once?"

Tobias' face was just a few inches from Severus' now, and the Potions Master had to take a step back.

"Oh," Tobias went on, "I heard that you are with someone else these days. My son is shagging a girl half his age, isn't he?," he said sarcastically. "You are as sick as your mother, I've always said it."

Severus didn't answer. If there was something that he had learned about his alcoholic father, it was to let him vent his venom without uttering a single word during his speech.

"Are you afraid of the truth, Severus? Your little wife is just waiting for something: to get a divorce. As soon as she finds a way out, trust me, she will go away. You are just too stupid to notice it," his father continued with a devious pleasure while doing so.

Just when Severus thought of turning around and go as far as he could from Tobias Snape and his words full of venom, he noticed that the walls were coming closer and closer, as if they wanted to trick him into this room full of bad memories.

"Severus?"

The Potions Master stayed still when he heard this voice, this feminine voice coming from the corridor in front of him. Its walls were brighter, but the corridor seemed to be in blur. Could he go to this place?

"Severus, please, hear me out..."

_Hermione_. Hermione with her voice full of sorrow, full of care for him. He just wanted to sit on the floor and to close his eyes, in order to hear this beautiful voice over and over. What if he couldn't reach her, due to all this fog before him? What if he couldn't hear her again? It was a possibility, and something inside forbad him to do so.

"Severus."

This voice, again. He took a step toward the source of this delightful sound, hesitant to go further. Then, Tobias' voice reached his ears.

"She is playing with you, like every woman in your life did previously. Go with her if you want, but I'm warning y–"

"Shut up."

His words were harsh and clear, and Severus himself was surprised by his courage. He had never done something that brave before in front of his own father; during years, he had remained silent, letting him snap at him, beat him as if it was something normal. He turned around to face Tobias, and he repeated these two words, so meaningful for both of them.

"Shut. Up."

Tobias looked at him, surprised by his son's bravery. He didn't say anything, and just looked at him. Severus then turned around and headed for Hermione's voice. He didn't care if he would be trapped into this frog; the only thing that he wanted was to meet her and to ease her sadness. That, and being as far as possible from Tobias Snape, one of his worst nightmares.

**XxX**

When Severus opened his eyes, he heard the little sobs of Hermione next to his ear, he felt the kisses that she was giving him from time to time; he breathed the scent of her skin; he touched her soft hand, doing his best to squeeze her hand to make her feel that _he was there_ , next to her. The fire was burning a few feet from where they were, illuminating their shelter.

"Please, don't leave me...," she muttered again, her voice slightly broken with tears that didn't want to fall upon her pink cheeks.

She was gently rocking up at a slow pace, and Severus eventually let out a sigh.

"Hermione..."

It was the only word–the only name–that came from his mouth. How many time did he stay into her embrace? How many minutes, hours, had passed since the moment when he had closed his eyes, overwhelmed by the pain that he had felt when the Dark Mark had burned his skin?

Hermione's sobs stopped immediately, and she moved her head to meet Severus' eyes. What he saw into her chestnut eyes was enough for him to want to take her head into his hands and to kiss her until she begged him to stop. But Severus didn't dare to do such a thing, especially in the state he currently was in.

"Oh my, my, you're awake," Hermione breathed, visibly relieved to see that he was back.

"I am... Can you please help me to sit up?"

"Of course," she said in a hurry.

She put her hand into his back and helped him, her eyes not leaving him while doing so.

"How many time...?," Severus began, not taking care of finishing his sentence.

"Five or ten minutes, I don't really remember. I just had the impression that it lasted a lifetime," Hermione admitted, finally gazing at her hands.

"I don't even understand what happened," Severus said. "I just woke up with this insane pain irradiating from my forearm, from the Dark Mark."

"Was it the same pain... as usual?"

Severus gathered his memories, and Hermione saw him frown.

"Not exactly. It wasn't the same pain. It was painful, as painful at it was in the past, but this pain... It seemed to want to eat me alive."

"Wasn't it the case before? I heard that it was pretty painful when Voldemort used it."

"Sure, it was," Severus confirmed. "But the Dark Lord, as devious as he was, never tortured us through the Dark Mark; he had many, many more ways to do such a thing. This time, it was like the person who _summoned_ me wanted to hurt me; to hurt me badly."

Hermione nodded in understanding, her hand still on his back.

"Do you feel better now? Does it still hurt?"

"No, everything is fine," Severus said while shaking his head. "Thank you, Hermione."

"I didn't do anything, really..."

"You were with me," he cut her off in a low voice, his ardent gaze turned to her.

"It was perfectly normal, Severus. You would have done the same if it was me, I am sure of it," she said with a little smile. "Wait for me, I am going to fill this bottle with water, you need to drink something."

She tried to stand up, but Severus stopped her, a hand on her forearm.

"Stay with me, Hermione."

"I don't have for long," she retorted. "The steam is jus–"

"Stay with me. _Please_."

She sat down next to him, puzzled by his sudden desire; seconds later, they were lying down on the floor. Hermione grabbed her wand to switch off the fire, and she unconsciously tangled up her fingers with Severus' ones.

"I am here," she whispered, looking him falling asleep in the dark.

**XxX**

Something had changed last night; Hermione could almost feel it. Everything had changed, actually. Severus was less distant that he had ever been, seeking for her presence more often than not. He seemed to smile at her more often too, despite the incident that had happened hours prior; to be honest, he seemed to not care about what had happened, as if he was trying to forget about this event. But Hermione knew better: she was sure that something like that could happen again if it was coming from Lucius Malfoy.

"If he tries again," Severus told her, "I will be prepared this time."

He had asked her to forget about it, but she just couldn't. To see Severus in so much pain had broken something inside her; she had been so close to lose him, so close to not see him again that she had understood what was that feeling that was growing in her since a few weeks. The way that she cared about him wasn't innocent: it was the love that a woman was supposed to have for her husband.

Hermione gave him a side glance, and saw that he was looking at the map, once again. She took a deep breath, and resumed what she was doing. She needed to put everything back into her purse since they were about to move to another place of the island.

"There is another village not so far from here, a biggest one," Severus said in his deep baritone voice, walking toward her, the map still in hand. "With luck, we will find some information about what happened in London."

Hermione nodded, and put the last piece of bread into her purse before closing it. Thanks to the charm that Severus had put on it, it wasn't heavy or bulky.

"Good," she just answered, avoiding his gaze. Severus frowned, surprised by her lack of reaction.

"' _Good_ '? Is that all?"

"Well, yes. What do you want me to say?," Hermione asked, raising her right eyebrow from incomprehension.

"I don't know," Severus admitted. "You were more talkative the last few days. Is there a problem?"

"Not at all," Hermione retorted quickly. "Everything is fine, really. Maybe that I didn't sleep well, but other than that, there is nothing wrong."

Severus looked straight at her for some seconds, and Hermione was that close to think that he was using legilimency on her.

"Well, if there is nothing wrong, we shall resume our walk then," Severus eventually said before beginning to walk at a slow pace to let her follow him. For the first time since they had arrived on Isle of Man, they walked side by side, Severus helping her to reach the highest rocks from time to time. Whenever she was touching her husband's hand, Hermione felt this unbelievable sensation of warm taking possession of her own body, as if she knew inwardly that she was safe when he was around.

Thirty minutes later, they finally saw the village that Severus had told her about. It was bigger than the previous one, indeed, and Hermione looked at Severus.

"Is that a Muggle village?"

"I don't think so," he answered. "Look at the people's clothes."

Every man was wearing a robe, a dark one for most of them. Hidden behind some big trees, Severus cursed through his teeth.

"We need to be vigilant, and even more. If they know who we are..."

"Things would be ugly," Hermione concluded.

"Exactly. I cannot let you go alone this time."

"We can't go together either, it would be far too dangerous," Hermione retorted.

"Then I shall go alone," Severus said with a smirk full of confidence.

Hermione shook her head erratically. "I can't let you go alone, Severus. We are supposed to stay together."

"... And yet, you've just said that we cannot go together," he pointed out ironically.

"And it's the truth!," she whispered, knowing that it would be a bad idea to shout. "It would be a better idea to wait until tonight to enter this village, after all."

"Terrible idea. If the Ministry won, you can be sure that every village, every single one, has a curfew. We need to do it right now. I need to go. Just stay here, and wait for me."

"Bu–"

The last of Hermione's sentence stayed stuck into her throat, and she let out a sigh when she looked at Severus. He was heading to the village, not even taking care of hiding himself. What was he thinking about? A few moments later, he was out of her sight, and Hermione turned her back to the village, gazing at the hills that were before her. _Severus knows what he is doing_ , she thought, even if she wasn't so sure of this inwardly.

What would happen if the Ministry had won? Would they return to London anytime soon to make Kingsley understand that they weren't implied into the Ministry's attack? With some luck, they would be under a protection program, and Malfoy would not be able to harm them any longer. But if the Death Eaters were now ruling the Wizarding Britain, Hermione wasn't sure about the proper thing to do. Surely, to hide for a long period would be the better idea; moreover, she would never be able to work at St. Mungo's if the Death Eaters were at its head.

Her thoughts quickly drifted from these problems to the man who was trying to solve them: _Severus_. She was madly in love with him, she knew it. She had tried to fight during so much time, putting her feelings aside, thinking that it was just because they were married that she wanted him that much. But now that she had been so close to lose him, she knew; it had been him during all this time. Since the day that she had lost her virginity into his arms, she had felt something: a connection with him which had been hard to explain back then given to the circumstances of their union. And now, two months after her wedding with him, she just _knew_. It was almost crystal clear to her eyes: Severus was important to her, and she was ready to spend weeks, months, years on the run with him, if it was what it took. She needed him in her life, and it wasn't important that this feeling was just a one-side one: it would do for now.

Minutes passed, and Hermione jumped when a hand fell onto her shoulder. She quickly turned around and encountered Severus' obsidian eyes.

"You scared me," she breathed.

"You should have been more careful, Hermione. Everyone could have seen you from the road," he told her. "You are lucky that it was only me."

Hermione pursed her lips, annoyed by his remark.

"Did you find anything?," she asked, trying to change the subject.

" _Daily Prophet_ of yesterday," he just said, handing her the newspapers. "And, for your information, no one saw me."

"How did you do this?"

"Disillusionment Charm," Severus smirked, before urging her to read the headlines.

_"Massive attack of the Ministry of Magic_

_After the Dark Lord death, we all thought that it was the end of years of horror in the Wizarding World. Unfortunately, it seems that we were far from the truth. Yesterday morning, more than ten of Death Eaters attacked the Ministry of Magic, killing dozens of Ministry employees. Yesterday afternoon, Kingsley Shackelbolt, the Minister of Magic, denounced this attack and expressed his deep sadness. "We are all saddened to hear of all these deaths. Many Ministry employees died in this attack, and it cannot remained unpunished. We are currently looking for the authors of this horrid crimes."_

_A lot of Death Eaters were named: Lucius Malfoy, Yaxley, and Mulciber Sr, along with ten other criminals (find the full list on page 6). In his speech, he Minister of Magic also incriminated Severus Snape, previously the Headmaster of Hogwarts after Albus Dumbledore's death, and who is also known as a Death Eater. Despite his amends, it seems that he played a major role in this attack. He fled from his flat along with his wife, Hermione Granger Snape, right after the War. It doesn't take long to the Minister of Magic to declare that both of them were suspects in this case. "We are searching them too, and they will be judged like the others."_

_(More on page 6)"_

_Suspects_. Severus had read the headlines over Hermione's shoulders, and he couldn't help but curse through clenched teeth. Hermione remained silent, her hands slightly shaking. Minutes earlier, she had thought about being protected by the Ministry, but it didn't seem to be possible, given the circumstances. Both of them were suspects, researched by the best Aurors of England. _Harry_...

Hermione finally looked up at Severus, not knowing what to say, not knowing what to do. She saw him breath heavily and walk away from her, as if he was trying to calm down.

"Severus."

She just called his name, wanting to meet his eyes; wanting to hear him say that everything would be fine, that he had a solution. He always had a solution, she thought. Always.

But this time, Severus didn't dare to look at her. He ran his hand over his face, thinking about what he would tell her. Inwardly, he wanted to tell her that she should have gone to her parents' house in the first place. But he knew that it was too late now, and that she wouldn't understand. Not now.

" _Severus_..."

Hermione tried to have his attention one more time, almost begging him to look at her. She needed him, more than ever.

Suddenly, Severus walked toward her and took her into his arms. It was all that Hermione needed, and she closed her eyes, relieved to feel him against her. Severus put a kiss on her forehead, and forced her to look at him, with a hand under her chin.

"I will do everything in my power to protect you, Hermione, you have my word," he whispered, looking straight at her.

"I know," Hermione muttered back, nodding slightly.

"I am sorry, _so sorry_..."

Hermione tried to hold back her tears, but they fell on her cheeks anyway. She didn't want to cry; she wanted to show him that she was strong enough to deal with this situation, but she felt so lost that she couldn't do it. The only thing that she wanted now was to rest her head of Severus' chest and to feel his hands on her back. It was the only place where she felt safe, protected from the world, from the people who wanted to hunt them down.

"What are we going to do?," she whispered, searching for his eyes once again.

Without thinking twice, Severus bent over to capture Hermione's lips with his, kissing her with passion, trying to ease her sorrow this way. When he released her lips, he gently caressed her cheek, erasing her tears. He needed to touch her, to feel her during this difficult moment for both of them. But at the same time, he knew that it wouldn't be enough: she wanted, she needed an answer.

"For now, we just need to survive," Severus said in a low voice. " _Together_ ," he concluded before kissing her again.


	19. Chapter 18

**Becoming One**

**Chapter 18**

* * *

When he entered into the room where Gretchen was, Harry let out a sigh loud enough to make the elf jump. Her big eyes were staring at him, and the Auror could almost feel the fear oozing from her little and awkward body. Her big ears were pointing to the sky, unlike Dobby's, giving her a funny look. Her thin lips, pursed as if she didn't want to say anything that could be held against her, captured Harry's attention, before he looked down to her hands: they were tied, laying on her tights.

Harry frowned, and glanced at the Auror who was in the room with them.

"Why are her hands tied?," he snapped, irritated to see such a thing.

The Auror, a tall man in his late thirties, raised an eyebrow in a gesture full of disdain toward his younger colleague. "It is the procedure."

"I don't care about the procedure. Release her."

"But the Minister..."

"The Minister didn't even know that she was here with us, I was the one who gave him this information. Kingsley trusts me enough to let me do _whatever I want_ with Gretchen. So, I am going to say it one last time," Harry growled, " _release her_."

The Auror held his gaze for quite a long time, but he eventually walked toward Gretchen and untied her hands, not paying attention to the fact that he was hurting her wrists while doing so.

"Be careful," Harry warned him, his green eyes darker as ever.

"You're not my boss," his colleague mumbled before leaving the room, slamming the door behind him.

Harry continued to stare at Gretchen the whole time, noticing how afraid she seemed to be. She was looking at the floor, slowly massaging her hurting wrists at the same time. Harry went to the closest chair and sat.

"Gretchen?," he called, waiting for the elf to look up at him. She did, and for a second, Harry could see all the stress that she was under since they previous day. Had she even eaten? He wasn't sure, and since the house elves were thin creatures, her appearance couldn't be a clue.

"Gretchen is listening."

Harry nodded, and bent over to be more insistent. He needed some answers to his questions, to the Minister's questions, and he didn't plan to use force to have them. It there was something that he didn't want, it was to be like his colleague, an insensitive bastard who thought that humans were better than magical creatures such as a house elf.

"Gretchen, you worked for Severus Snape, didn't you? He was your master."

"Mr. Snape is still Gretchen's master," she answered, her eyes wide open.

"Yes, of course, he still is. Do you know where he is right now?"

Gretchen might have feel that something was wrong at the tone of his voice, and she stayed still for a long moment before shaking her head in denial.

"Gretchen doesn't know where Master is. She was in her bedroom when the men entered in the house."

"Did you hear anything about some... plan?," Harry insisted, his fingers nervously drumming on the table in front of him, separating him from Gretchen. "Something about some friends of your Master."

She shook her head once again, this simple gesture being her only answer.

"Gretchen doesn't eavesdrop. She does what Master tells her to do."

"Did he forbid you to listen to his conversations?"

"Of course," she quickly answered. "No house elf is supposed to hear to the conversations of his or her Master."

Harry sighed. He was sure that he wouldn't learn anything with Gretchen, unfortunately.

"And what about Herm–, Mrs. Snape? Did you talk to her?"

"Mrs. Snape is good to Gretchen," she just said, smiling as if she was remembering some good memories which occurred with Hermione.

"Did she tell you anything about what she thinks about Mr. Snape?"

"No. It is not Gretchen's job. Gretchen is living at Mr. and Mrs. Snape's house to serve them," she frowned.

"Alright... You are going to spend the night here. I still don't know if you can return to Mr. Snape's house since he's not living there anymore. Until we find him, you are free from your house elf's duties."

Harry left the room, and ran a tired hand over his face. He needed to find something about Hermione, he needed to be sure that she had nothing to do with this attack. And more than anything, he needed to know that she was alive, somewhere. He tried to remember about the discussions that he had had with her during the summer, doing his best to connect the dots while he was heading to his office.

Hermione had always seemed to protect Severus Snape, one way of another. " _I've had the opportunity to keep an eye on him, and I'm sure that he's not a bad person_ "... That was one of the last sentences that the young woman had told him, when they had met into this little café in London. As far as he remembered, Hermione's premonitions weren't the best, unfortunately. He remembered about his fears about Draco Malfoy during their sixth year, and the fact that Hermione hadn't believed him at all during weeks.

Something was wrong with all of this, but Harry had difficulties to know _what was wrong_. But even if it was difficult to put his finger on the truth for now, it was exactly what he needed to do. He needed to understand why Snape and Hermione were missing, and where they could possibly be.

**XxX**

_5 days later_

" _Dear Lucius,_

_I heard about the attack of the Ministry, last week. I am truly worried, since I have no news from you. Draco is more than scared, and both of us don't know what to do. I beg you: please tell me that you are alright. We are currently at the Manor, waiting for you. The Aurors questioned us during six days, and I cannot take it any more. I need you by my side, or, at least, I need to know that you are alright._

_I hope that our personal owl will reach you in time._

_Yours,_

_Narcissa_ "

Narcissa wiped away a tear and stood up to give the piece of parchment to Septimus, their owl. Her hair, twisted into a severe bun, was perfectly fitted to her inner thoughts: she was dry inside, and it was even worse than the day when she had learned that Lucius wanted to divorce in order to marry an other woman. This day, she had thought that her heart was broken, but it was different from the pain that she was feeling right now.

Not knowing where her husband was, was excruciating. And, above all, she was alone. Draco was spending his days in his room, not wanting to talk to her. " _It is all your fault! You let him go and marry this stupid woman!_ " he had snapped at her, thinking that she had been the one who had decided to have a divorce.

Narcissa breathed slowly, attaching the letter to Septimus' leg. With a caress on his forehead, she gave him the authorisation to leave the house, which it did. She had spent six days at the Ministry of Magic; six days at the place where Lucius had been seen for the last time. They had came at the Manor right after the attack, and she had panicked. Narcissa Black Malfoy had had a panic attack.

She chuckled, rethinking of this day. She had yelled, not aware of what had just happened. She had thought about everything: Lucius' death, Draco's... She had also thought about the Marriage Law, curiously enough. What if she needed to marry someone after all, despite her age? Narcissa let out a sharp laugh at this thought. It would have been better if it had been the case. But no, these four Aurors, including Calypso Perkins, were not here for this kind of reasons.

_Calypso Perkins_... Lucius hadn't lied to her: she was truly beautiful. During weeks after his wedding to this woman, Narcissa had done everything in her power not to read the newspapers: she didn't want to see the woman that _her_ husband had married. But when she saw her, this young woman with her bright and shining hair, she couldn't help but notice how young and beautiful she was.

Thinking about it, it wasn't bad that Calypso Perkins had been the one who had arrested her: this way, Narcissa was sure that she wasn't with Lucius, that he had fled alone–minus his friends, and, with luck, Severus.

Severus, their old friend, was missing to the Ministry's eyes, but, inwardly, Narcissa had the feeling that the Potions Master was with her husband. They were friends, and she, alongside Lucius, had done their best to save him from a morbid fate. Moreover, she wanted to believe it; Severus was, by far, the most intelligent man that she had ever known, and if there was someone who could help Lucius in his dangerous plan, it would be Severus Snape.

The six last days had been awful, to her and to her son. She had tried to protect Draco, but they had been separated from the beginning. During hours, days, the Aurors had questioned her, not letting her rest for more than two hours every night. Narcissa sat on the sofa next to the window, looking at Septimus flying in the sky. Septimus was supposed to know where Lucius where: it was their owl, and they had trained him during years to find either her or Lucius. The Aurors hadn't thought about it, and Narcissa was relieved. It was her last chance to find her husband, her last chance to know that he was alive.

Thus began the longest wait of her life.

**XxX**

A week. Seven days. One hundred and sixty eight hours.

"How are you doing?," Severus asked to Hermione, shaking her out from her vegetable torpor. "You did not talk since... more than two hours, which is, at this point, more than an achievement."

Hermione stopped playing with the piece of wood, and looked up at him.

"It could be worse, so... Let's say that I am good."

Severus held her gaze as if he was trying to see if she was lying or not. She quickly looked down, moving the piece of wood into the brown sand at her feet. For days, she had entertained herself with this simple piece of wood. She had shaped it to make it sharp, and she was using it to draw some forms into the sand. Severus and she had decided to stay into this shelter, well-hidden into the hills of Isle of Man. Every two days, her husband left her alone in order to go to the closest magical village to have some news about what happened in London. The last time they had the opportunity to read the _Daily Prophet_ , they learned nothing more than they already knew. The Ministry was still searching for them, and their thoughts about them hadn't changed in the slightest.

To make things worse, Hermione was ill. She was coughing all day, and the pain into her chest didn't seem to ease itself with time. Severus had tried several spells, but they had reached the conclusion that nothing would help her: she needed to heal in a natural way.

"We are going to stay here for two or three more days," Severus explained, looking at the map for the umpteenth time.

"And where will we go then?," Hermione asked in a hoarse voice.

"I don't know yet. But it is not a good idea to stay here forever; we need to find another solution. Moreover, the humidity of this cavern is not good for your health."

"It will not change anything, Severus...," she sighed. "The only thing that we can do for now is to find another shelter, and I don't think that we can find a cavern better than this one. To be honest, I prefer to stay here if you don't mind."

"I vowed to protect you," Severus retorted in a low voice, raising his hand when he saw that she was about to interrupt him. "I will do my best to help you, Hermione, even if I have to put myself in harm's way."

She frowned and let go of the piece of wood that was into her hand.

"To put yourself in harm's way? What do you plan to do, Severus?"

"Nothing," he mumbled while looking at the map once again, too quickly for Hermione.

"Severus, look at me," she insisted, knowing that he was hiding something from her. Another cough cut her off, and Severus let out a sigh.

"Look at yourself, Hermione... You are sick and I cannot do anything to help you."

"You are doing everything that you can! You try to find medicinal plants, you prepare my meals, my plants decoctions," she listed, smiling. "You sleep next to me and try to warm me up when I'm freezing at night... Please, Severus, you have to understand that you are helping me tremendously at this moment."

She needed him to understand how important he was to her eyes. He was acting like a husband was expected to act toward his wife, and she couldn't be happier to be with him in such a critical moment.

"I don't know if I could have survived until then without you," she went on when she realised that he didn't want to talk.

The darkness was approaching outside, and when a draft slid into the cavern, Hermione shivered. Severus moved toward her, sharing his blanket with her, eliciting a smile from his wife.

"You see, it is exactly what I am talking about. You are doing everything that you can to make me feel comfortable. I am almost sure that you would give me all of this blanket if I'd ask you to," she concluded in a laugh.

"Do you need it?," Severus asked, slowly putting all the blanket onto her lap.

"No, no," Hermione laughed. "You've just proved my point: you're everything that I need right now, don't ever doubt it," she concluded in a whisper, noticing how close Severus was. His lips were just a few inches from her eyes, and she stared at them until Severus turned to the right to take the map.

"Look," he began, pointing at another area of the island. "I think that it could be a good idea to move there. There is a magical village not so far, and I guess that we can find a place to stay. We will obviously need to hide ourselves as much as possible, but... Hermione, I cannot let you sleep under a shelter any longer. You deserve, you _need_ to take care of your health, and it is not possible here."

"It's not safe...," she muttered, her eyes still on the map.

"It is true. But we cannot stay here forever, you said it yourself. Moreover, from what I learned when I was in the village, people here don't seem to care about what is currently happening in London. It is like they are living in a bubble, and they do not seem to be preoccupied by _us,_ or by Lucius Malfoy for that matter."

Severus had said these words as if he had thought about it during a long time. Hermione looked at him, and eventually sighed.

"You are not going to give up, are you?," she asked, and Severus gave her a smile.

"I am glad to know that you are not reluctant to do such a thing. But you have to know that your illness will help us."

"How come?," she managed to say in a cough.

"What kind of person would refuse to take in a sick and young woman?," Severus smirked, visibly content by his brainwave.

"How Slytherin of you...," Hermione laughed, amused by his plan. "Well, we'll try it this way, then. What about doing it tomorrow?"

"Tomorrow," Severus nodded, taking the map from her lap. "For now, we need to rest."

She agreed, and both of them lay down onto the floor, using their arms as a pillow. Severus shut down the fire with a wave of wand, and suddenly, they were into the dark. Hermione moved toward him, searching for his warm body, and as usual, Severus surrounded her waist with his arm, embracing her. Her eyes closed, she breathed heavily into his neck, as if she wanted to be printed by his smell. When she let her lips enter in contact with the flesh of his neck, Severus let out a groan.

"Hermione...," Severus whispered in the dark, urging her to look at him despite the fact that she couldn't possibly see him.

"Is something wrong?," she whispered back, trying to see the contours of his face.

"I do not think that it is a good idea to be... that close."

Hermione stayed still for a second, and then she left his embrace, embarrassed and somewhat ashamed. Why had she done something so stupid? Severus was her husband, of course but... there wasn't supposed to have any love, any feelings between them. She nodded erratically, even though he couldn't see her in the dark, and turned her back.

"Of course. I'm sorry if it made you uncomfortable," she muttered, closing her eyes to avoid this feeling of shame that was overwhelming her. She wanted to bury her head in the sand, to disappear. Severus' slow and steady breath reached her ears, and for a second, she wondered if he wasn't fast asleep.

"Hermione," he repeated, giving her the answer to her unsaid question.

"Yes?," she managed to murmur.

"It is not... what you think."

Not what she thought? Hermione frowned, asking herself if she had to turn around in order to look at Severus.

"What do you mean?," she questioned softly, her back still turned at him.

Her husband didn't answer right away, but she waited for his answer anyway. She had to know what his real feelings were, and it was now or never; they had never been so close, and, more than two months after their wedding, she wanted to know where they were heading to.

"Look at me," Severus eventually said his hand gently caressing her waist in a gesture full of promise.

Hermione turned around, trying to meet his gaze, even if it was hard in such a darkness.

"I can't see anything," she admitted in a disillusioned laugh, and Severus cursed through his teeth, taking his wand at the same time. A second later, the fire was back, and Severus' face with it. Hermione stared at him, curious to know what he wanted to say to her.

"You did not make me uncomfortable," he explained, his face illuminated by the fire. "Actually, I was more than pleased."

"Really?," Hermione couldn't help but ask, out of surprise.

"Really," Severus stressed this simple adverb, giving a hint of a smile. "To be honest, I was uncomfortable... But in another way."

Hermione frowned, not understanding what he meant.

"In... another way?"

"A man can have some... physical reactions to a kiss," he mumbled, avoiding Hermione's surprised look.

Was he truly saying that he was _attracted_ to her? She wanted to say something, but the was stunned to hear something like that coming from _his_ mouth. Oh, he hadn't told her that he was in love with her, that was totally another thing, something that she wouldn't even think about at the moment. It was another level of intimacy, and Hermione wasn't hoping for hearing such a thing so soon.

She managed to smile at him, putting her hand onto his cheek to force him to look at her.

"You don't have to be ashamed, Severus. I prefer to know that you are attracted to your wife instead of thinking that you don't want me to do something like that."

"But it is wrong on too many levels," he sighed.

"Why?"

"We married because of a _law_ ," he explained. "We were supposed to divorce right after the repeal of the law."

"I know. But we are still married as far as I know..."

"Since we are outlaws, as far as I am concerned, this applies to our marriage too."

"What do you mean?"

"I mean that we do not have to feel compelled to do anything toward each other," Severus said in a firm voice, pointing the fact that they were free to share intimate moments together if they wanted too, but also that they were also able not to.

"Alright," Hermione admitted, still not understanding what he wanted to say. "But I don–"

"What I mean," Severus cut her off, "is that you do not have to do these things, Hermione. I appreciate them, but... we do not have to lie to each other anymore," he concluded in a whisper, removing her hand from his face.

"And what if I want to do these things?," his wife added swiftly.

"Trust me, you don't want to do these things," he chuckled. "It is your Gryffindor's pride that is talking right now."

"Please, spare me your sarcasm, Severus," Hermione sighed. "If I did this, if I kissed you, it was because I wanted to do so. I know all these things, I know that we don't have to have sex twice a week now, and, truth to be told, I don't think that I'll be able to have sex with you right now given my illness," she continued, doing her best to hide her amusement. "But you have to understand that you are important to me. I don't care if we are married because of a stupid law, I don't care if we weren't mean to be at the beginning. The only thing that I know, at this exact moment, is that I want us to continue to live as husband and wife, I want to give you everything, Severus, I wa–"

Her last words remained unsaid while Severus took her face into his large hands, his lips entering in contact with her warm ones. Hermione closed her eyes, amazed to feel this sensation that she had almost forgotten. During more than a week, she had tried to forgot about her attraction toward her husband. In all honesty, her mind had been occupied by so many other things lately, but late at night, she couldn't help but think about a future with the Potions Master, this man whom she had married almost three months prior.

Severus slid his tongue into her mouth, and Hermione gladly gave him the authorisation that he was seeking for. She moaned against him, feeling his hands on her hair, feeling everything about it. Her hands caressed his face, his shoulders, his body protected by his thick robes.

Eventually, he broke loose from her embrace, allowing her to catch her breath. Hermione coughed, not able to hide her illness.

"I'm sorry...," she blushed, well aware that it was a mood-killer.

Severus put a last kiss on her forehead, and encouraged her to lay down once again.

"I do not intend to make love to you tonight, Hermione, if it can reassure you," he said, holding on tightly. "But be sure that it will be one of my first thoughts once you will be better," he whispered next to her ear, making her shudder.

Hermione smiled into her husband's neck, forgetting everything about what was happening in London in the space of some seconds.

"Sleep well, my love...," she heard him say before falling asleep.


	20. Chapter 19

**Becoming One**

**Chapter 19**

* * *

Travers grumbled for the umpteenth time when he noticed that it was starting to rain – again. The weather here was far worse than in London, where he used to live before the attack. The Macnairs' house, despite its location up in the North, known a better weather than this _place_.

Why had he asked this question about Snape to Lucius Malfoy? Travers had always known that he should keep his mouth shut most of the time, but this time, he had talked too much. And now, he was here, traveling in England in order to put his hand on Severus Snape, the traitor. It wasn't an easy task, unfortunately. Travers needed to remain hidden most of the time, and it was a real pain to avoid people, while he needed to find one person in particular. Two even, he thought with a nasty grin on his face. This Hermione Granger sure would be a good prize to bring back to Lucius Malfoy, even if the blond wizard hadn't talked about her before he left. But a woman was always a good prize to bring back home; his friends and himself could do _a lot of things_ with her beautiful flesh.

Travers finally arrived at a village, and he picked up his pace. The sun was hidden behind the huge clouds, but he knew for sure that darkness wasn't so far at this time of the day. He needed to find a place to stay for the night, and he took the phial of Polyjuice that Malfoy had given to him before his departure to put some male hair that he had collected during the week in it.

"It will do the trick for tonight...," Travers grumbled before swallowing it.

**XxX**

"Do you think that you can make it?"

Hermione nodded and smiled at Severus before removing her wet hair in front of her face.

"Don't worry, I'm much better than yesterday."

It was true; she had almost stopped coughing, and she was breathing with much ease than before. She couldn't help but think that sleeping in Severus' arms last night had helped her health to improve, even if she knew how silly this idea was.

"It's late, I think that it's the best moment for us to enter into the village," Severus noticed, more focused than ever, if it was even possible.

"Alright. But are you sure..."

"I am sure, Hermione, trust me."

"I trust you," she muttered, gently squeezing his large hand into hers. "It's just that wherever we go, it's not a hundred per cent safe..."

"You are right," Severus admitted. "But do you have any other solution for us?"

Hermione sighed. "Of course not."

"Then we are staying in this village for the night. Since you are better than yesterday, I guess that we have to change our plans."

Hermione stared at him, waiting for him to explain himself. When Severus made a move to head to the village, Hermione grabbed his right arm at the last moment.

"What are you talking about?," she whispered, not wanting to act suspiciously to the other people who were coming back to the village before dawn.

"Do not ask too much questions, and just do as I say," Severus said. "I am not going to hurt anyone tonight, so please, _trust me_ ," he repeated, slower this time.

Hermione bit her lower lip, but followed him nevertheless. She looked down as much as possible, not wanting to bring too much attention upon them. Severus, with his black cloak and his equally black look was, of course, highly recognisable, but as he had said her earlier, it was not a normal magical village: people here where disconnected from London and the Ministry, and intended to live a normal life, almost a Muggle one.

She encountered a few strange looks, but nobody seemed to be really disturbed to see a couple like them between them. The alleys were already dark, and Hermione could almost smell the smell of some braised meat coming from some little restaurants along their way. She sighed, desperately wanting to eat something substantial for once.

"Here it is...," she suddenly heard Severus muttered, mostly to himself, when they stopped in front of a decaying hotel.

"Really?," Hermione asked, a little disturbed by the appearance of the place. "I know that we are almost broke, but–"

"Follow me," her husband interrupted her before pushing the door which cracked under his weight. Hermione noticed his wedding ring sparkling into the night while doing so, and she immediately calmed down: it would be okay.

Severus didn't hesitate a second and headed for the reception desk. Hermione took advantage of this moment to look around: they were the only persons in the hotel, and there was dust everywhere; on the old pink sofas, on the coffee table which seemed to be that close from falling in pieces in the centre of the room, and even on the floor itself. The young woman was almost shocked to notice that she hadn't glided along the wooden floor, given the fact that it was covered with a heavy layer of dust.

Severus rang the little –and shiny, as if someone had tried to put at least a clean object onto the reception desk– bell, and waited for someone to come. They waited almost a minute before hearing a few steps coming from the reserve. An old man came toward them and stared at them, visibly bored to have two visitors in his hotel.

"Yes?," he just drawled, running a not-so-clean hand over his face covered with an imposing white beard.

A side glance was enough for Hermione to see that Severus was wearing his usual smirk full of confidence, a sign of his annoyance toward the receptionist, along with his slender finders drumming onto the wooden desk.

"My wife and I are looking for a place to stay tonight," the Potions Master said in a low voice, doing his best to maintain eye contact with the old man in front of him.

"We are full, sorry," the receptionist mumbled before heading back to the reserve.

"A second, please," Severus' voice stopped him, and he turned around, frowning.

Hermione just had the time to see Severus' take his wand out of his pocket but didn't hear him said something out loud: but one second later, the receptionist seemed to be numb, gloriously numb, as if he had seen the most beautiful thing in his life.

"My wife and I are looking for a place to stay tonight," Severus repeated, and Hermione raised a surprise eyebrow. Surely, it wasn't a good idea to insist with this man, given the fact that they were searched by the Ministry: it would have been better to drop it and to look for another hotel for the night.

She put her hand onto Severus' forearm, urging him to look at her, but, to her great surprise, the receptionist eventually nodded.

"This way, I've got the perfect room for you."

Hermione didn't move right away, stunned by the reaction of the old man who had been so despicable just a few moments prior. Severus followed him immediately, and so did Hermione after a few seconds. _What had just happened?_

They climbed a few stairs, and, with his stupid smile, the receptionist opened the door and let them enter.

"I'll be at the reception desk if you need anything," he said in a charming voice before closing the door behind him, just giving Severus the time for a curt nod.

Right after he closed the door, Hermione shook her head of surprise.

"What did you do?"

Severus shrugged, something that he was not used to do.

"I did what was necessary," he simply answered, before looking around the room. There was a bed, large enough for the both of them, and a table with two chairs. Just in front of the bed, there was a door, surely the bathroom's one.

"Did you use... an Unforgivable Curse?," Hermione slowly asked, as if she didn't want to hear his answer.

Tired, Severus sat on the bed, and frowned when he heard the interior sprung noises.

" _Severus_ ," his wife insisted.

"I did, yes," he sighed.

"But it is forbidden!," Hermione shouted, stunned by his answer.

"Of course it is, I am not a stupid person. But it was necessary, you needed to rest. Moreover," he added before she had the opportunity to speak again, "we are surely already sentenced to a life sentence in Azkaban if you don't remember the fact that we are on the run. So please, calm down."

Hermione opened her mouth to say something, but she closed it right away. There was no need to continue this conversation, she knew it: it was done, and there was no way for her to undo the past.

"You should have told me what you were planning to do...," she simply said before sitting next to him on the bed, tired as well.

"Would you have been okay with this choice?," Severus asked her, caressing her leg through her jeans.

She shook her head, and he smiled.

"Then you know why I didn't say anything about it."

**XxX**

They ate in their room this night, right after a good shower, and Hermione was relieved to finally being able to drink in a glass and to eat in a real dish. Severus had asked the receptionist to buy them something at the restaurant where Hermione had smelled so many good meals, and she had even had a dessert–a chocolate one, one of her favourite.

"It feels good to be in a bed," she whispered when they skipped under the covers that they had cleaned a little bit earlier.

Severus switched off the light and let out a sigh.

"I agree."

"Thank you."

"What for?"

"For being here for me, and for doing all these things to make me comfortable," Hermione explained before caressing his arm under the cover.

"It is my duty to keep you safe."

"Because of this promise that you made a week ago?", she whispered in the dark of their room.

When his pillow moved, Hermione understood that he was shaking his head in denial.

"Because you are my wife."

Slowly, Hermione closed the gap between them, and when her lips entered in contact with his, she closed her eyes. His lips were warm, and she wondered how she had done to leave without knowing this sensation during all her life. It was hard to describe how brilliant it was, how necessary it seemed to be at this exact moment. It was like Severus' lips were made for her, made for her kisses.

She moaned when he put his hands on her lower back, urging her to come upon him. She was just wearing a bra and her panties, and moaned even louder when her skin entered in contact with him. Severus' hands moved from her back to her hair, and Hermione eventually broke free from his kiss to breathe.

"Make me yours tonight...," she whispered against his lips, her arms at each side of his face.

"My pleasure..." Severus whispered back before taking her into his arms and pinning her against the mattress, his lips travelling down her throat.

She closed her eyes, lost in her pleasure, and she didn't even realise that Severus had already removed her bra, and was planning to do the same with her panties.

When he moved his face downward, Hermione stopped him.

"I just want to feel you, Severus," she muttered, amazed by her own needs. She just needed him, it was simple as that.

Severus didn't utter a single word and just covered her thin body with his. A second later, he was into her warm entrance, moving at a slow and unbearable pace. Hermione searched for his lips, and arched her back to feel him even better. She had waited for this moment during days, and now that he was in her, she didn't want him to leave her before both of them reached their climax.

Severus was doing his best not to moan at the delightful sensation of being buried inside his wife, of feeling her slightly moving under his body. She was amazing, and even if he wanted to close his eyes to feel her even better, he couldn't help but look at her beautiful face, at her half-open mouth that was making these beautiful sounds of pleasure. What had he done to have the privilege to be the one who could share her bed? What had he done to be able to make love to this young creature and to take pleasure out of it?

The Potions Master could feel his cock growing inside her thigh entrance, caressed by her wet inner walls. He started to move faster, and the bed made its characteristic noises, but he didn't hear them: he concentrated himself on Hermione's sounds of pleasure, her moans full of lust and _love_.

"I'm close, so close...," she whispered, arching her back a little more to feel him better.

Severus straightened his back and put his hands on her hips, helping her to impale herself on his thick and hard cock, every time a little farther.

"Come for me...," he said through gritted teeth, knowing that he was himself close to come inside her.

"Oh God, go on, please go on... Don't ever stop," Hermione continued to say before screaming her pleasure, her hands clenched around the sheets.

Severus continued to ram himself into her entrance several times before letting go and coating her inner walls with his seed.

When they slept that night, it was hand in hand.

**XxX**

"Do you plan to free him from the Imperius Curse?," Hermione asked in the morning right after leaving the bathroom.

"Of course," Severus answered. "We are not going to stay here long, and I am sure that people will ask questions if he stays in this state."

"But don't you think that he is going to talk around if you remove the Curse?"

Severus raised a surprise eyebrow.

"Are you implying that I should keep him under my control?"

Hermione shook her head. "Of course not, it is forbidden," she quickly said. "But..."

"As long as we are staying here, I do not plan to undo the spell, do not worry about it."

"Good..."

"Well, I need to take a shower," Severus said while heading to the bathroom. "Can you just go at the reception desk and asked him to bring us breakfast?"

"Of course."

Hermione put on her clothes and left the room. Images of her night with Severus were spinning in her head, and she couldn't help but smile while taking the stairs. This night with him had been enough for her to forget about all the stress that they were under, and if they could stay in this hotel forever, she wouldn't disagree.

 _But first, I'd need to clean it up a little_ , she thought when she arrived in the neglected lobby.

She hadn't noticed it the previous night, but there was something looking like a dining room at her right, along with a bar. A tall man was sitting here, probably drinking a cup of coffee. Not paying too much attention to him, the brunette went to the reception desk and rang the bell that Severus had used a few hours earlier, and waited for the receptionist.

This shrill sound seemed to disturb the man at the bar, because he turned at her, visibly irritated by the bell.

Hermione's first reaction was to look down, but, while doing so, she frowned. She had the impression of knowing this person, knowing him _personally_. She knew that it was a bad idea, but she eventually looked up and encountered these deep blue eyes that she had never forgotten, no matter how hard she had tried during these last few months. Even if the bar wasn't in the light, she also spotted his hair. This mane of undisciplined red hair, hard not to notice it. Her voice seemed to have giving up on her, but she managed to whisper a single word: his name.

" _Ron?_ "


	21. Chapter 20

**Becoming One**

**Chapter 20**

* * *

Since the moment the young woman entered the lobby, Ron had felt something different. If someone had asked him what exactly he had felt, he wouldn't have been able to give him a proper answer, though. He just _knew_ that she was here, not so far from the bar where he was, and he had crushed his cigarette into the ashtray when he had heard the annoying ring of the bell.

Then, he had met her eyes.

Even if she was a little far from where he was, he could distinguish her chestnut eyes, like two little chocolate candies, illuminating her face. Her hair was wet, giving him the impression that her mane was tamed now. But inwardly, the redhead boy knew that it was just an illusion: despite everything that she tried to look calm and serious, Hermione was a wild person, and her mane was a depiction of this personality trait.

Ron noticed her surprise, quickly replaced by _fear_. Fear? He frowned while thinking about it. Why would Hermione be afraid of him? She looked around, as if she was looking for a way out, or, even stranger, for someone to help her out. He didn't think twice before jumping from his bar stool and walked toward her.

"Well... Quite a surprise to see you here, eh?," he said with a smile, hoping that it would be enough for her to stay with him, at least for a quick chat.

Hermione seemed to want to backlash, but at the very last second, she decided to remain where she were. She nodded slowly, still looking insecure.

"Quite a surprise to see you here too," she said back, her voice a little hoarse. "I thought that you wanted to travel far from England, and here you are..."

"We can't always do what we wanted to in the first place."

"You preach to the choir," Hermione swiftly answered, doing her best to make her expression undecipherable.

Ron cleared his throat. Of course, to see Hermione, just three months after his departure, was unexpected, and he didn't really know what to say to her. He had left her at a critic moment, he knew it, and, to be honest, he also knew that she would be mad at him. But he had dreams, so many dreams that he couldn't achieve with her by his side, _with her as a wife_. With time, he had thought three months prior, she would be able to forgive him for his – he wasn't ashamed to admit it – selfishness. But now, it was too soon, and her cold tone was enough for him to realise that she was still hurt by his departure; by his desertion.

Nervously, he ran his hand in his red mane, lowering his eyes.

"I don't want you to be mad at me, Hermione...," he muttered, doing the exact same thing that he had learned to do whenever his mother was mad at him when he was a child.

"I am not mad at you, Ron," he heard her sigh. "What are you doing here anyway?," she added in a low voice, looking around as if she didn't want to be seen.

"I am traveling, like I told you the day I left. I was in France last month, and well... I just wanted to be alone for a few weeks, far for civilisation in a way. Then, I remember about this island, we came here when I was a kid, so...," he drawled, a smile in the corner of his lips. Obviously, it was a good thing to see that Hermione wasn't reluctant to talk to him despite what had happened in the past.

"Oh... And what about France? Is something happening there in the Magical World?," Hermione almost blurted before anxiously biting her lower lip.

"You know me, Hermione," Ron laughed. "I am definitely not the type of person who loves to read newspapers or such things. That's your thing, should I remind you about it?"

She shook her head, laughing nervously.

"You don't have to. But tell me...," she continued, her eyes wandering in his back, "are you a smoker now?"

Ron rolled his eyes. "Damn, don't tell me that you are going to punish me like my mum would do if she was here."

"I don't plan to, you're a big boy as far as I know. It just that... it's quite surprising to see you with a cigarette in your hand."

"Let's say that my friends during my French trip were not as serious as you and Harry were back at Hogwarts," he shrugged. "Moreover, it's not like cigarettes are really well-seen in the Wizarding World."

"And don't you think that it is a good reason not to smoke then?"

"Hermione...," he warned her, and she capitulated.

"Alright, alright. You are a big boy," she repeated with a smile.

After all, Ron thought, his piercing blue eyes fixed on the brunette, talking with Hermione wasn't as bad as he had thought before. She seemed to be more and more relaxed to be in his company, and he decided to push his luck a little further.

"Well, it's quite late, and I have to admit that I am famished. Do you want to have breakfast with me? I am in this hotel since last week and, even if it is not as good as at Hogwarts, their breakfast isn't that bad," he said with this typical expression that he had when he wanted to ask something to her. "What do you think about it?"

Hermione seemed to think about it, weighting the pros and the cons, but as she was about to give him an answer, the laconic and peaceful receptionist came from the reserve, looking at them.

"What can I do for you?"

This simple question made Hermione jump, and she swiftly turned around to look at him.

"Wh–," she began, before gazing at the bell that she had rang earlier to warn the receptionist of her presence. "Oh... Nothing, I just... I'm sorry, I didn't mean to disturb you."

The old man nodded with a smile, and disappeared in the reserve once again.

"So?," Ron insisted.

"I am sorry, Ron, I've got things to do in my room... It was a pleasure to see you, really, but I really have to go," she blurted, before putting herself on tiptoes to kiss him on the cheek. "Maybe that we will have time to talk further later in the day or tomorrow, who knows. Have a nice day."

Ron stayed still while Hermione started to climb the stairs leading to the rooms two by two, as if she was chased by some evil. For some reason, he realised that he hadn't even asked her who her husband was. Frowning, he returned to his bar stool, and took his pack of cigarettes out of his pocket; he really needed one after what had just happened.

**XxX**

When Hermione closed the door of her room behind her, she noticed with some relief that Severus was still under the shower. The sound of the water managed to calm her a little while she sat on the bed, thinking about what just happened.

Ron.

Of all people, it was Ron that she had seen in the hotel lobby. Ron who had talked to her, Ron who had smiled to her. Ron who had asked her to have breakfast with him.

Just when Hermione was about to focus enough in order to think about what she needed to do next, the peaceful sound of the shower stopped abruptly. She quickly looked at the bathroom door, knowing perfectly well that her husband would join her in less than a minute. Even if she was positive about the fact that Severus needed to know that Ron had seen her, she didn't know how she could say it to him or if she really had to do it. Of course, he would blame her for her lack of caution back in the lobby, and Merlin only knew what Severus could do to Ron to protect her. She took a deep breath when the bathroom door opened, and looked at Severus while he entered into the room, his white towel wrapped around his waist. His pale torso was naked, and he raised an eyebrow when he saw her sitting at the edge of the bed.

"Is the receptionist bringing breakfast?," he asked before giving her his back in order to get dressed.

"I... Well... Yes, he'll be here in ten minutes," she improvised, quickly thinking about what she could possibly say to him. That she had seen Ron? Even if he needed to know this information, she wasn't sure that it was a good idea to talk about it right now. That they needed to leave this hotel and this island as soon as possible? It was something that was conceivable, and she could explain that she had some bad feeling about this island. Maybe that it would be enough to convince Severus.

Hermione didn't even realise that Severus was in front of her, his black robe now hiding his pale body.

"You are shaking," he pointed out, searching for her eyes. "Is something wrong, Hermione?"

When she saw him sit right next to her, Hermione lowered her eyes. She didn't want to risk anyone life, Ron's, Severus'...

"Look at me."

She shook her head, denying his request at the same time, but soon enough, Severus' hand slide under her chin, urging her to face him.

"Did something happen?"

His voice was soft, and despite their black colour, his eyes were as soft as the tone of his voice.

"Nothing happened," she said in a hoarse voice.

"Did you notice anything suspicious about the receptionist?"

"No," she shook her head. "No, everything is fine. It's just... You know, I'm thinking that it would be a good idea to leave Isle of Man as soon as possible."

"To go where? London, maybe?," Severus drawled. "You know that we cannot–"

"I know," Hermione cut him off abruptly. "I know," she repeated in a softer voice. "But we could go further than here, in another country, where it would be harder to find us..."

"How? We cannot use an International Portkey. They are under the control of the Ministry."

"We could... We could use Muggle means of transport. My aunt is living in the South of France, mayb–"

"We cannot go to one of your relatives' house; I am sure that you understand why."

Hermione took a deep breath, and slowly nodded. "I do."

"And why are you so desperate to leave this place? I recognise that it is not a five stars hotel, but we are safe here, as safe as we can be given our situation. We are not sleeping under a rock any more, we can eat as much as we want, and I am almost sure that this hotel is not really known in the village."

She bit her lower lip, knowing that her husband was right. But Severus didn't know that Ron was here too, and it changed everything.

"What if someone that we know is here in the hotel?," she muttered, not daring to look up at him.

Severus didn't answer right away, but Hermione felt his body stiffen next to her.

"It cannot be," he just answered calmly, but Hermione heard the hesitation in his voice.

" _What if?_ ," she insisted, and she realised that her voice was maybe giving the hint that she desperately wanted to hide. Severus raised his right eyebrow, disturbed by her tone.

"I am not going to ask this question one more time, Hermione," he said in a low voice, the same that he used to take back at Hogwarts. "What happened?"

Hermione breathed with great difficulty, knowing that she couldn't hide something that big to her husband. He had been the one who had shared all of his secrets with her, and she needed to do the same, whatever it cost her.

"Ron happened," she let out in a whisper, her head slightly bent over. "Ron is in this hotel, and... and I talked to him."

Severus cursed through clenched teeth, before running a stressful hand over his face.

"What have you just said?," he hissed. "Ronald Weasley, this stupid friend of yours?"

"Don't talk about him like that," Hermione snapped.

"What better adjective could fit him, may I know? As far as I am concerned, he is the one who let you down, and now, look at you. You are no less than a fugitive thanks to him."

Hermione noticed the anger – or maybe was it jealousy? – in Severus' voice, and she tried to calm him down.

"I am so much more than that. I am your wife, and–"

"And this idiot can harm both of us now that he knows that we are together here," he interrupted her, visibly irritated by this revelation that he didn't expect.

"He doesn't know that you are with me. He was in France during all this time, and he didn't read the newspapers, he is not aware about what is happening in London," Hermione whispered. "For that matters, he doesn't even know that you are my husband."

Severus seemed to freeze instantaneously. He got up from the bed where both of us were, and leaned over the desk full of dust that was in the corner of the room. Hermione started to weight the pros and the cons of the decision that she was about to make. Would it be a good idea to get up and to hug him, in order to make him realise that they could find a solution together? Or would it be better just to ask him what he was currently thinking about? Severus didn't give her the opportunity to think further about this.

"We need to talk to him."

Hermione blinked several times. It was the last think that she had thought about during her introspection.

"Excuse me?"

Severus turned around, his eyes cold as ice.

"You said that he doesn't know anything about us, or about the upcoming War – because, trust me, there will be one –, and we need to make ourselves sure of it. I don't want him to be a danger for any of us."

"He's not a danger, I've just told you th–" Hermione began, terrified by the idea of hurting Ron in the process.

"I heard you perfectly well the first time, thank you. And you won't change my mind about it," Severus cut her off before using his wand to put his usual black robes on and heading to the door.

In a second, Hermione was next to him, her hand on his arm and her eyes begging him not to do it.

"Please, Severus, don't do anything that could hurt Ron, he's my friend," she said, afraid by his sudden decision and the implications of it.

"Are you seriously saying that he is still your friend even after what he did to you? Even after he left you when you needed him the most?," her husband asked, a sincere surprise at the bottom of his eyes.

"While doing so, he gave me the opportunity to have you," she muttered, professing her love once again. " _Please_."

Severus' expression softened, but he opened the door nonetheless.

"I will do what is necessary," he said solemnly. "Do not leave this room, Hermione. If I manage to handle this situation like I plan to do, he will not be harmed," he continued, his jaw clenched.

Hermione nodded and she reluctantly let go of her husband's arm.

"I trust you," she whispered, hoping that it would be enough to make him keep his promise.

With a last and quick kiss, he disappeared through the door, and Hermione stared at it during long minutes, even after his departure.

"Please, don't do anything inconsiderate," she muttered to Severus' attention, albeit she knew that he couldn't hear her from where he already was.

Ron's future was now into her husband's hands.


End file.
